Serena Williams' Nike ad exposes the gender bias female athletes face

When a woman is strong, she is intimidating, when she won't stand for your problematic behaviour and stand up for herself, she is 'crazy'.

Well, Nike has a message to all the women called 'crazy' throughout their lives and that is to 'dream crazier'. With tennis pro Serena Williams on board as the narrator, the brand's latest TVC calls out the stigmatic culture around strong women and what is said to put them down.

"If we show emotion, we’re called dramatic. If we want to play against men, we’re nuts. And if we dream of equal opportunity, delusional," Williams says in the ad.

"When we stand for something, we’re unhinged. When we’re too good, there’s something wrong with us. And if we get angry, we’re hysterical, irrational, or just being crazy."

"If they wanna call you crazy, fine. Show them what crazy can do."

Serena Williams has on many occasions called out the sexism that is rooted deep in the sports community. Despite being one of the best tennis players around, she has often been put amidst controversy.

In November last year she was penalised for 'reacting' to an umpire's decision while male players have too often gotten away with responding similarly (or worse) in such situations. Earlier she was banned from wearing a catsuit on the basis that it was 'disrespectful' to the game even though white female players have earlier worn such suits.

The TVC includes gymnast Simone Biles, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the US women’s national soccer team, and other women athletes.