
(Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)
Award-winning actors challenge big-name athletes on the pickleball court, and the stakes have never been higher. It’s a ”Play For An ULTRA.”
Here’s the deal…
On January 28th Michelob ULTRA announced its latest Super Bowl LIX beer spot which plays out on the nation’s fastest growing sport pickleball, that even has a major league franchise that Anheuser-Busch bought into in 2022.
When we first came across that announcement, we thought it was a joke. What the hell is Major League Pickleball anyway and why would Anheuser-Busch want to own a team?
Turns out pickleball is a real sport that’s played indoors and outdoors on a badminton sized court, which combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. And while tennis requires an overhand serve, pickleball serves must be underhand. Picklers (that’s what they call players) serve diagonally to the opposite side of the court.

(Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)
Unlike tennis balls which are bouncy, a pickleball is light and bounces lower than a tennis ball. Pickleball uses paddles, not racquets and the sport’s court is much smaller than in tennis.
And yes there’s a major league pickleball franchise, the MLP, and Anheuser-Busch entered into the ownership space with the purchase of pickleball expansion team for the 2023 season.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Anheuser-Busch’s newest Michelob Ultra Super Bowl LIX commercial takes place on a pickleball court, but we were surprised by the big name stars involved.
Michelob ULTRA’s fun new spot, “The ULTRA Hustle”, stars Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe and Emmy Award winner Catherine O’Hara, as pickleball players who are not quite what they seem, with cameos alongside NFL legend Randy Moss, Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser and WNBA Champion Sabrina Ionescu.
The 60-second spot follows the iconic pairing of Dafoe and O’Hara – as an unassuming duo who take to the pickleball court and hustle their way to beating the competition and collecting Michelob ULTRA.
“For me, it was such a thrill to be a part of this Super Bowl commercial, so I have Michelob ULTRA to thank for making me feel very cool,” said Catherine O’Hara. “I just know that people will see this and have a good laugh – Willem and I had such a good time hustling everyone on the pickleball court.”
“When Michelob ULTRA came to me with the concept, I thought it was funny. I enjoyed the process of bringing this to life, especially working with Catherine,” said Willem Dafoe. “I think people will get a kick out of it seeing us play the villains in a fun yet competitive environment.”
To extend the new spot to fans at home, Michelob ULTRA and DoorDash are teaming up on a gifting platform that allows beer buddies to send ULTRAs to their opponents directly through DoorDash. Fans can simply head over to the “Play For An ULTRA” page, choose their Michelob ULTRA beers and send with same-day delivery to their desired address – all from one place on the app.
Michelob ULTRA will be the first beer brand to execute this first-of-its-kind beer gifting platform, which will be promoted through digital media, email marketing, and social posts within the DoorDash app.
We’re excited to challenge America to ‘Play For An ULTRA’ as we continue to champion a social and active lifestyle,” said Ricardo Marques, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Michelob ULTRA. ‘’’Play For An ULTRA’ is inspired by the competitive dynamic between friends and will run on the Super Bowl stage to through the rest of the year.”
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