"I like that people are starting to recognize that women deserve equal pay & they deserve the same that a male gets" - Serena Williams
Serena Williams recently spoke to CBS News about her partnership with beer company Michelob ULTRA for a commercial during the upcoming Super Bowl. During the interview, she also touched upon gender equality and the advent of equal pay for men and women in sports.
Williams has, for years now, been a relentless advocate for equal pay for women both within and beyond the sporting fraternity. Her collaboration with Michelob ULTRA, an organization that has campaigned extensively to increase the visibility of women's sports, is being seen by many as another step in amplifying the cause.
Serena Williams stated that while "it takes time" to shrink the gender pay gap in sports, she is happy to see people recognizing the importance of women earning the same as their male counterparts.
"Women have to be seen the same," Williams said. "It takes time. You just can't expect things to change overnight. I like that people are starting to recognize that women do deserve equal pay and they deserve the same that a male gets."
Earlier this week, the beer brand announced a five-year partnership with the Women's Sports Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Billie Jean King for the upliftment of women in sports. Serena Williams lauded the initiative during her interview, and also highlighted the brand's commitment to strengthening inclusivity in sports.
"It's great to see them walking their walk and talking their talk, to what they put their commitment into," Williams said. "I applaud them for elevating female athletes and amplifying inclusivity to the world's biggest stage, the Super Bowl. It doesn't really get any bigger than that."
The 23-time Grand Slam winner further revealed that she had a lot of "fun" shooting for the commercial.
"So it was really fun," Williams said. "It's a really good campaign, just having an opportunity to talk about joy and how critical it is for joy to be in your life."
Uncertainty looms over Serena Williams' return to tennis
Serena Williams last played a competitive match at Wimbledon 2021, where a leg injury forced her to retire from her first-round match. She went on to skip the Tokyo Olympics, the US Open and the recently-concluded Australian Open.
Williams' schedule for the rest of the 2022 season is still uncertain, and her long break from the tour has forced her down to No. 247 in the WTA rankings. The 40-year-old has used her time off the court to focus on her clothing line 'Serena' and to promote her father's biopic King Richard.
The film has received plenty of critical acclaim and is in contention for six Oscars, including Best Picture.