The Jackson State Tigers defeated the Prairie View A&M Panthers 27 to 10 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, MS on Saturday, Dec. 4, to win the 2021 SWAC Championship game. The win was the first SWAC Championship win for the Tigers since 2007 and Coach Deion Sanders’s first time taking the honor since becoming head coach of the team in 2021.
The football game was broadcast on ESPN 2 which debuted a new Pepsi commercial during the game that featured Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South marching band alongside the Florida A&M University Marching 100.
Solange Knowles’ ex-husband Alan Ferguson directed the commercial in partnership with Creators League. Pepsi bankrolled the $3 million ad which is also set to run on ABC during Celebration Bowl on Dec. 18 and other national media outlets throughout the end of the month.
“It is an esteemed honor to have been selected to participate in a nationally televised commercial with Pepsi. Of course, this is an outstanding opportunity for our students, band and university, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge what this affiliation means for all HBCU band programs regarding exposure that could garner the support of future donors and corporate sponsors. The future is bright for HBCU band programs because of great opportunities such as these,” Dr. Roderick Little, JSU Director of Bands told Sports Illustrated in a statement.
The commercial is part of Pepsi’s endeavor to support HBCUs and foster Black talent. The company also has a partnership with JSU football coach Deion Sanders, as well as multi-year sponsorship deals with the National Battle of The Bands and SWAC.
“This ad campaign provides a fitting showcase for two exceptional music programs. Our marching band students are committed to excellence in the classroom and performing on the field. This campaign celebrates their dedication and talent. Fans of the incomparable Marching ‘100’ will be pleased. It was an amazing experience for our students to work with the production team during their visit to our campus,” Dr. Shelby Chipman, FAMU Director of Bands added in the statement.
Check out FAMU and JSU’s Pepsi commercial below.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26WpGvLpFzw[/embedyt]
