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Michelob ULTRA features pickleball pros in Super Bowl commercial
Pickleball will make its presence felt during Super Bowl LIX courtesy of a creative Michelob ULTRA commercial.
This marks the second year in a row that pickleball will be featured in conjunction with the most watched sporting event of the year.
Last February, finance company E*TRADE hit a home run with their picklebabies commercial.
This time around, Michelob ULTRA parent company Anheuser-Busch enlisted the acting services of Willem Dafoe, Catherine O’Hara, Sabrina Ionescu, Randy Moss, and Ryan Crouser for the spot. The commercial also includes pickleball athletes Hunter Johnson, Parris Todd, Jaume Martinez Vich, and Emily Cederquist.
The 60-second advertisement follows Dafoe and O’Hara hustling their way to win Michelob ULTRA beers from a series of opponents who underestimated the duo.
Eventually, Dafoe and O’Hara spot Martinez Vich and Cederquist playing pickleball with a cooler full of beers.
Dafoe and O’Hara ask “Play you for an ULTRA?” and win. Then Martinez Vich and Cederquist hand over their cooler in defeat.
A member of MLP's Atlanta Bouncers, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch, Cederquist was honored to be one of the players in the commercial.
“I am someone who watches the Super Bowl every year because I’m a big sports fan, but also because the commercials during that game are objectively better than normal. To think I got to be even a small part of a commercial, with a company who is extremely well-known, is one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of,” she said. “I’m sure many people think it would be cool to be in a commercial, but never would you expect it to actually happen. To know that everyone I know will probably be watching the game – even if it is just for the commercials – and I can point out that I was actually IN the commercial, is so surreal. It’s the coolest fun fact I’ll ever have in my life.”
Soon, Dafoe and O’Hara find themselves in a battle against Todd and Johnson
Dafoe and O’Hara secure the victory with an epic overhead shot and score more beer.
Like Cederquist, Johnson thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“Having the opportunity to film for the Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl commercial was such a fun and unique experience. Being able to do it alongside my girlfriend and mixed doubles partner was even more of a blessing. Pickleball is growing at such a rapid pace around the world, and to be a part of a commercial that showcases the inclusiveness of a sport for all ages, speaks volumes to the growth and playability of this amazing industry,” he said. “The fact that the four of us, as current pro players, get to represent pickleball and collaborate with one of the biggest sporting events in the world, shows that pickleball is stronger than ever and here to stay.”
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