First: I used to post on the Super Bowl ads, as there is usually some ethics-relevant fodder there, but this time I’m only interested in the Nike commercial above, which one of you sent me. Gee, the photography is nice!
The spot begs for the “What’s going on here?” question, to be sure. It is the perfect Rorschach test ad, with so many confirmation bias traps you have to admire the thing just for that. I almost posted it as an Ethics Quiz. Here are some reactions;
1. It is definitely brazen virtue-signaling by Nike, which has been getting hammered for not weighing in on the biological males in women’s sports debate.
2. The equivalent ad would have made more sense in the 1980s, or even earlier. Who needs to be told that women and girls can play sports and excel in 2025?
3. An all-male competition in which a female squad would be sent to the emergency room is a rather strange context for this message.
4. Is this a poke in the eye of excuse-making Democrats, who claim that Kamala Harris’s loss was because voters are biased against women? Or is the ad an exhortation to them to stop bitching and to “just win” by, you know, nominating more qualified female candidates?
Second: Not surprisingly, President Trump showed that he understands the Cognitive Dissonance scale…
The Super Bowl (unfortunately) is very high in positive territory for the majority of Americans, and, again unfortunately, higher on the scale than the American Presidency and definitely higher than Trump personally. Attaching himself to this cultural event cannot help but elevate Trump’s status and popularity, even if the effect is mostly subconscious.
Like President Trump himself, who expressed surprise in his interview with Bret Baier on Fox News, I am amazed that he is the first President to attend the Super Bowl. It’s a natural venue for any President. Trump knew he would get some jeers, but the majority of the crowd’s reaction was positive, the positive response was broadcast to the nation, and all but the permanently Trump Deranged, who were gnashing their teeth, had to feel good about it. The President said he felt his attendance would help unify the country. It helped just a little, and people like Chris Koons believe that “a little” doesn’t count, but they are wrong. More of this kind of thing, please. It’s culturally healthy.
Third: Obama Whisperer David Axelrod commented yesterday that Trump’s attendance at the game reminded him that Biden had refused to do the traditional Presidential interview in both 2023 and 2024 despite its obvious political benefits, especially in 2024, an election year. That should have set off warning bells for his party, Axelrod said. Well, it did, but Democrats let Biden try to run anyway. It’s amazing: his puppeteers didn’t trust Biden to have live interviews way back to February 2023, and yet they were so sure their “Trump is Hitler and a convicted felon” strategy was golden that they convinced themselves that Joe could get through two debates and a full campaign. Amazing.
Fourth: Trump’s Super Bowl appearance shows that he understands the importance of momentum. He is pressing his advantage while he’s got it, and doing everything possible to contrast with the sad, slow, enervated Presidency of his predecessor. The comparison makes Trump look better and Democrats look worse.
In chess, this factor is called “initiative.” The reason White, which moves first, wins a majority of all games in computer simulations is that having the initiative forces Black, the adversary, to react rather than set its own path. It is a crucial tactical advantage that must never be surrendered if possible.
Fifth: This was a vivid example of how Presidents can’t, or at least shouldn’t afford to take a single day off. I wonder how Trump does it at his age: his stamina and energy are remarkable, and this is another reason why he has poll numbers that contrast so much with his first term. Americans like strong Presidents as a concept. Biden was a weak President and appeared (and sounded) weak. Trump is taking full advantage of the comparison while Biden is still fresh in the public’s mind.
Sixth: We will know how well Trump 2.0’s first year is going when the baseball season starts. The first time around, Trump didn’t dare throw out the first ball in an opening game because he feared the indignity of being booed by the crowd like Herbert Hoover was in 1930. He still won’t throw out the first ball in D.C., which is about 90% Trump Deranged and likely to remain so. New York, LA, Seattle, Minnesota and Chicago are risky too, but the Texas Rangers or Houston Astros should be safe venues for him to finally get one of the symbolic honors of the job that were denied to him by the 2016 Post Election Ethics Train Wreck.
Ethics Alarms 
I remember that commercial. It seemed strident, tone-deaf, and definitely out of place. Female professional athletes have already masterly the art of being brash, outspoken, demonstrative, etc. Just like their male counterparts.
Too many of the commercials were just weird or ardently woke (like the one on ‘hate’) and the collective tone of them was rather depressing. On the flip side, the ones I saw that were actually pushing a product or a store were a lot more upbeat and actually interesting.
I doubt if the type of ads like Nike’s actually do much good for the company. Nobody likes being talked down to and then asked to buy that company’s product.
On the football side, it was a huge win for the underdog and totally upset the expected order in the NFL. Gen. H.R. McMaster of the Hoover Institute (and for NSA in Trump 1.0), who is a big Philadelphia fan, will be ecstatic. Taylor Swift, not so much.
I don’t know about underdog. The Eagles were the favorites going in. When it comes to sports I think that quote from the Dark Knight stands true. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. The number of people who told me they just wanted to see someone else win is strange to me. Greatness in sports should be celebrated.
Yeah, but the US, which came into existence as an underdog, still has a pro underdog bias. It’s both a strength and a vulnerability. It’s why the Democrats can get away with their habitual vilification of billionaires and successful people, and also why the lawfare against Trump backfired. It’s why everyone hates the Dodgers right now because they not only won the World Series, they have signed a bunch of top free agents.
KC was regarded as the favorite because it has a current “dynasty,” and also because while they were expected to be in the Super Bowl, the Eagles were far from sure things.
It was a complete and total annihilation. Even before the Chiefs tagged on some meaningless scores, it was not as close as the score indicated. The KC offense was neutered. Might as well have been the varsity scrimmaging against the Jayvees. Brutal. Funny how so often the Super Bowl turns out to be nothing but a … wait for it … football game.
I have no idea what Nike was doing with this ad. It seems to support Riley Gaines and her objections to men participating in women’s sporting events. I watched a Joe Rogan interview with Gaines and, to my mind, she has handled herself very well in the face of the vicious attacks against her for standing up for women in women’s sports. She has stood her ground and, for the most part, avoided invective, articulating pretty obvious positions that were the norm about 6 years ago. Frankly, that her position is controversial is mystifying.
Our son competed in high level swimming for about 12 years. He was offered a position on the Texas A&M swim team but he declined the offer in place of concentrating on studies and his career goals. When he was 10 or 11, he was paired with a heat of same age girls in the 500 freestyle. He won the heat by 45 seconds and was faster than the fastest girl in that event. It was obvious at that age that boys are simply stronger that the same aged girls. The differences only get more drastic as boys get physically stronger as they get older. Sure, there is the Katie Ledecky who is a phenomenal swimmer and truly gifted athlete but she is the exception rather than the norm. Follow the science and all that.
So, it leads me to think that there is something more at play than simply sports equity or equality. Perhaps it is the idea that there is no difference between men and women and that all should be treated the same.
jvb
An all-male competition in which a female squad would be sent to the emergency room is a rather strange context for this message.
You should take a look at the flag football one then. A single black female dominates a seemingly all boys white boys high school football team..
For the most part, there was definitely a shift in the commercials this year. A significant portion of them had a more conservative tone. Brad Pitt’s huddle up and Harrison Ford’s Jeep commercials reminded us about patriotism, unity, and focusing on being together in this great experiment I think really hit the heart strings.
Even the halftime show which from what I understand was performed by someone who is pro-BLM, anti-police had a very patriotic feel to it (though I didn’t understand a single thing he sang).
God. That Harrison Ford Jeep sermon was awful. Almost put me to sleep. Do actors ever retire? Harrison. Go fishin’. (Mrs. OB reports he was paid $3Million by Jeep for that work.
Maybe Cincinnati would be a good place to throw out a first pitch. The oldest franchise in MLB. Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky are pretty hard scrabble and ornery. Copper Head country. The Cubans in Miami would eat him up. He could even blast Cuba while he was there. It would be a home game for Ivanka and close to Mar-a-Lago.
And speaking of learning lessons from his first term. Isn’t it interesting the Trump children are not being given roles in his current administration, at least so far as we can tell. There’s one dumb mistake avoided, so far.
It’s possible the kids suggested that, too. But if they do get roles, there’s at least one laptop available that won’t need to be purchased new. Of course, they’ll need to brush the residue off the keyboard before using it.
The Nike ad is hilariously dated. Wasn’t Meghan Rapinoe a Nike player? Hasn’t Nike noticed women athletes can be every bit as obnoxious and childish as men athletes for years?