From LeBron James to Serena Williams- 5 Athletes Who Featured in NFL Super Bowl Ads Before Lionel Messi

It has been confirmed that Lionel Messi is all set to feature at the Super Bowl. The exciting teaser, ‘Don’t Run Out’, features the face of Inter Miami on a beach buying a drink from Michelob Ultra. Within just hours it has already broken the internet. Messi’s presence is refreshing considering that Hollywood A-listers usually dominate Super Bowl Ads. Yet, he is not the first athlete to do so, as Lebron James, Serena Williams, Michael Jackson, and several sporting icons have done before. To be more precise, he is not even the first soccer player to have this privilege! Let us look at the sports stars who made it into these iconic yearly commercials before the Argentine icon.

Lebron James’ push towards bravery

4x NBA champion LeBron James‘ commercial, ‘Fortune Favours the Brave‘, at Super Bowl 2022 was super interesting, to say the least. It featured the basketball icon speaking to his younger high-school self, who asked, “Is the hype too much?”, to his older self. The older LeBron James didn’t reveal much, but replied, “If you want to make history, you gotta call your own shots“. $7 million was the cost, for a commercial of that length!

Serena Williams enthralls not once, but twice

Serena Williams is known to dominate the Tennis court, but she displayed her lesser-seen acting talents in her Super Bowl LVII commercial. She appeared in two commercials, the first of which was for French Champagne producer Remy Martin. In this ad, she recited a famous speech by Al Pacino from the movie ‘Any Given Sunday’, in which the star tried to motivate the team at halftime.

The second advertisement was for Michelob Ultra, and Serena Williams teamed up with Brian Cox from Succession and also USMNT star Alex Morgan. The advertisement takes place on a golf course and is an homage to the 1980 movie Caddyshack. The major idea behind this ad was gender equality in sports. It’s safe to say that both ads left their mark on the audience.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s memorable birthday

Just before his 33rd birthday in 2018, soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo received the perfect birthday present. CR7 featured in a Super Bowl Ad and this time, he donned the shoulder pads instead of the shin pads. The Portuguese superstar dominated the football pitch and even did his trademark Siuu celebration. The ad ended with the caption, “Because there’s never been anything like it.” This was an advertisement for Altice One- a combination router and TV box.

A blast from the past involving MJ, Lebron James’ idol

Before LeBron James, there was a hit Super Bowl Ad featuring involving another NBA icon, Michael Jordan. This also served as the inspiration for the movie Space Jam. The part-animated, part-live-action commercial saw Bugs Bunny and the NBA icon team up to defeat their antagonistic opponents in a basketball game. The commercial ended with Bugs Bunny, saying, “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” The ad also served as a promotion for MJ’s signature ‘Air Jordan‘.

Read More: Lakers Superstar LeBron James Likened Himself to Lionel Messi During the FIFA World Up Back in 2014 – “Make the Right Play to Help”

Coca-Cola brings out the soft side in Joe Greene

‘Hey Kid, Catch‘ from the 1980 Super Bowl was an instant classic. It featured legendary Pittsburgh Steelers’ star Joe Greene who had a reputation for being ‘mean’, due to his aggressive & intimidating play style. In the commercial, a young boy offers Greene Coca-Cola, after a tough game. He appreciated the gesture and gave the fan a jersey in return. The ad was such a hit that it spawned everywhere, from cartoons to political campaigns!

What’s your favorite Super Bowl ad between the Lebron James and Lionel Messi one? Tell us in the comments below.

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