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College Stars Watkins, Chiles Featured in Nike Super Bowl Commercial

Basketball All-American JuJu Watkins and Olympic gold medalist gymnast Jordan Chiles included in new Nike "So Win" campaign.

Michael Ehrlich

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) takes to the court Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, ahead of the NCAA women’s basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. USC Trojans won 79-37.
USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) takes to the court Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, ahead of the NCAA women’s basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. USC Trojans won 79-37. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The last time Nike aired a Super Bowl commercial, college athlete superstars JuJu Watkins of USC and Jordan Chiles of UCLA weren't alive. For the first time since 1998, the global sports brand leader launched a TV spot on the biggest marketing stage and during the Eagles versus Chiefs matchup that featured an iconic roster of women from both the professional and college ranks.

Watkins and Chiles joined the likes of WNBA stars Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu plus Olympic gold medalist track and field sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and the world No. 1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, among others in Nike's "So Win" advertisement. Grammy-winning rapper Doechii voiced the commercial that was set to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.”

The campaign includes the 60-second anthem that debuted during Super Bowl LIX, still photography and a social media extension that illustrates Nike’s belief in the power of sport.

“At Nike, we make sure the athlete is at the center of everything we do, from product creation to storytelling,” said Nicole Graham, Chief Marketing Officer, NIKE, Inc. “We are at our best when we are representing the voice of the athlete and their voice becomes our voice. This brand anthem, featuring elite Nike athletes, is a perfect example of how we can inspire everyone to win, whatever that means for them.”

“You don’t wait for attention, you take it. You put in the work; you stay ready; and, when the moment comes, you own it,” Chiles said in a Nike press release. “Winning isn’t just about medals. It’s about overcoming, about proving to yourself that you’re capable of more than you ever imagined. And doing it all authentically.”

According to the brand, “So Win” speaks directly to athletes who win, lead and dominate despite constantly being told how they should act, what they can’t do, and who they can’t be.

Chiles - who took last year off from UCLA to prepare for the Paris Olympics - earning two medals in the process - returned to school this season to dominate the college gymnastics scene again. She is again one of the top NIL athletes, with such deals as BUBBL'R, Bumble, GK Elite, OtterBox, among others.

Watkins burst onto the college basketball landscape as a freshman in 2023-24, leading the Women of Troy to the Elite Eight while earning All-American honors and setting the national scoring record for a frosh. She currently is averaging 23.9 points per game - fifth in the country - for No. 7 USC. Her NIL portfolio is vast, including State Farm, Nintendo, CELSIUS, Gatorade and Funko.

Watkins and the Women of Troy next host No. 1-ranked UCLA on Feb. 13 while Chiles and the Bruins' gymnastics squad visits Penn State on Feb. 14.

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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