Abby Wambach and Usain Bolt are going head-to-head in a revamped version of an iconic Gatorade ad that featured Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm.
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Wambach is a retired US Women’s National Soccer Team legend. Now aged 40, Wambach’s major claims to fame are her world and Olympic championship triumphs with Team USA.
She represented the star-spangled banner in 4 World Championships and 3 Olympics from 2003 to 2015. She emerged victorious in 3 of those tournaments with 2 Olympic gold medals and a World Championship.
Abby Wambach speaks about working with Usain Bolt and emulating Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is, of course, the most famous Gatorade salesman of all time. He featured in an ad campaign for Gatorade Zero with Mia Hamm when Wambach was still in high school.
She was awestruck when she learned of this opportunity to be featured in a similar ad:
“This was just fun. I was a kid growing up, watching the Michael and Mia commercials being like, ‘Oh, this is’ — it was the first time I had ever seen in my life a woman being seen in the same vein as a man.”
“And I think that, for me, gave me permission to believe that I deserved the same thing as men deserved. That campaign had a huge piece of me.”
“So, of course, when they called and then when they say it’s going to be with [Jamaican sprinter] Usain Bolt, I was like, ‘Come on. Are they sure you want to do this with me? Are you sure I’m the one?'”
Jordan and Hamm go head-to-head in similar fashion to this ad in their 1998 edition for Gatorade Zero. They compete across various sporting arenas with each other, including the golf course – a notable Jordan favorite.
Just like Wambach after her, Hamm is a living legend of the USA Women’s Soccer Team. She has 2 World Cup triumphs and an Olympic gold medal to her name. She tallied 158 goals for the national team – a figure that Wambach would overtake with her tally of 184.
