As a lead-in to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Capital One, ESPN has launched a new campaign today, which coincides with International Women’s Day.
Narrated by Good Morning America host and former college basketball player Robin Roberts, the spot is underscored by P!nk’s song “What About Us,” and celebrates female empowerment and achievement in sports from the past, present and future. The creative weaves images of female athletes who have defied expectations, broken gender barriers and achieved incredible feats in their sport with iconic moments from previous NCAA women’s tournaments.
The “What About Us” campaign will continue throughout the tournament as ESPN highlights exciting moments and athletes as teams progress. The creative was produced by ESPN’s internal agency, CreativeWorks. Click here to view the spot.
Prolific female sports figures featured in the spot include:
- Pat Summitt – legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach who was a pioneer for the sport
- Danica Patrick – most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing
- Becky Hammon – assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs (second female asst. coach in NBA history, first full-time), former WNBA player
- Laila Ali – former professional boxer and philanthropist, health advocate and TV personality; daughter of the late and great Muhammad Ali
- Mia Hamm – Two-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the best female soccer players in history
- Ibtihaj Muhammad – American sabre fencer and Olympic bronze medalist; first American Muslim woman to wear a hijab while competing for the US in the Olympics; first female American Muslim athlete to earn Olympic medal
- Billie Jean King – tennis great who fought for equal prize money for women in the sport
- Chloe Kim – the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding medal
- “Final Five” USA Gymnastics team – Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian; won team gold at 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
- Annika Sorenstam – one of the best female golfers in history
- Janet Evans – Five-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming
- Serena Williams – one of the greatest tennis players of all time
ESPN is the home of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, which begins Friday, March 16. Every round of the championship will air on ESPN or ESPN2. The Women’s Final Four will be live from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, with the semifinals on Friday, March 30, and the national championship title game on Sunday, April 1.
ESPN and ESPN2 will present regionalized telecasts with home market protection through the first two rounds. ESPN3 will offer first- and second-round games in their entirety as a supplement to ESPN and ESPN2’s coverage. The final 15 games, beginning with the Regional Semifinals, will have national telecast windows on ESPN or ESPN2. All games will stream live on the ESPN App.
Creative Credits
Agency: ESPN CreativeWorks
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