Powerade launches 'Never Just Sports' ads against Novig's 'Just Sports'
Powerade just dropped a new ad campaign on October 15, 2026, directly responding to Novig's controversial "Just Sports" commercial starring Sydney Sweeney.
Their videos spotlight women crushing it in sports like track and field, swimming, and tennis.
Each ad ends with the line "Never Just Sports," while the message "There is no just in sports" appears in Powerade's Instagram caption.
Sweeney ad's nude imagery criticized
Novig's earlier ad showed Sweeney nude but covered by sports gear, a move that sparked backlash from athletes like Ararne Titumus and Amy Hunt for sexualizing women in sports.
Sweeney stood by the ad, as an equity holder in Novig and calling out how much attention her image gets.
Novig's CEO later said, "We had no intention of portraying women's sports in the ad," "Sydney's an actress," and "We're a prediction market that is focused on sports, and that was the story she was communicating."
Despite criticism, Sweeney continues to support the campaign.