The WNBA and Gatorade are under fire for a shockingly tone-deaf marketing campaign that’s being slammed as sexist — a message they clearly didn’t think through. Now, it’s plastered across billboards nationwide, and the backlash is growing louder by the hour.
WNBA & Gatorade are taking heat because of a slogan hatched by the latter this month.
Top Plays of the Day (7/25/25)
The sports drink brand launched its “Let Her Cook” campaign ahead of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend to celebrate legends such as Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker, along with the league’s current stars.
Fans reckon the entities did not think the slogan through, given that it literally reads as something women have been trying to distance themselves from for decades.
“Let Her Cook” is basically saying “Allow her to thrive.” However, some see it as a way to encourage people who claim that women should remain in the kitchen.
“I don’t think Gatorade & the WNBA fully thought this marketing campaign through😆,” Jon Root wrote as the caption to photos displaying bits from the campaign.
“They want women to make men sandwiches and shut up,” one fan commented.
“What are the odds that Gatorade’s ‘Let Her Cook’ campaign was led, overseen, and executed by a woman? I’ve got a hunch!” another wrote.
Gatorade Also Taking Heat For Caitlin Clark/A’ja Wilson Decision
A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark (Photos via USA Today Images)
There’s also some contention over Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson sharing screen time in the Gatorade ad. It’s thought that there is some tension between the two stars, and some fans see the campaign as representative of the discord in the WNBA.
It launched in the wake of Clark receiving a record-breaking number of All-Star votes. The Indiana Fever guard also got a historic deal with Nike before arriving in the league, while Wilson had until last December to get one.
She didn’t hide her feelings about the delay.
“It doesn’t matter what we do as Black women,” she said, “we’re still swept underneath the rug.”
While Gatorade is a leading brand in American sports, its recent campaign has left some fans skeptical as they wonder whether the slogan is genuine encouragement or a branding venture covering up very real issues.
