Powerade’s “Never Just Sports” campaign puts women athletes center stage amid backlash over Sydney Sweeney’s Novig ads.
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Key Takeaways
Powerade’s “Never Just Sports” campaign responds to Novig’s Sydney Sweeney-led advertising.
Novig claims first-time depositors increased by more than 218% around its campaign launch.
The move comes after widespread backlash from athletes.
Powerade has entered the controversy surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s Novig gambling ad, turning the betting platform’s slogan into a campaign celebrating women athletes.
The Coca-Cola-owned drinks brand’s “Never Just Sports” message challenges Novig’s “Just Sports” campaign, extending a dispute that has already drawn criticism from Olympic competitors.
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Powerade’s campaign features women competing and demonstrating their athletic abilities, aiming to put sporting achievement at the center of its messaging.
The advertisement appeared in New York’s Times Square; it came out about a month after Novig’s September campaign featured Sweeney posing with sports equipment covering her body.
Powerade is dropping new ads in response to Sydney Sweeney's nude "Just Sports" Novig campaign.
Speaking in a statement reported by Inc., Powerade senior director of brand marketing Leah Macko said the debate over women’s representation prompted the company to reinforce its focus on athletes.
She described that priority as “what’s always been at the heart of our brand: athletes.”
Sydney Sweeney Appears In Second Nude Novig Ad
Novig has continued the campaign despite the criticism.
A follow-up advertisement released on Oct. 11 again featured Sweeney, this time contrasting the platform’s “just sports” offering with betting on other subjects.
“There’s insider trading on dictators dying and armies of bots manipulating it all,” Sweeney reads in the ad.
“There’s someone sitting in a bathroom stall betting their 401k on a war,” she adds. “And then there are people who just trade on sports.”
Novig has pointed to growth in customer deposits as evidence of momentum following the advertising.
According to B&T, the company claimed first-time depositors increased by more than 218% in the 20 days surrounding the campaign launch.
Olympic Backlash Put Sweeney’s Campaign Under Scrutiny
As CCN previously reported, the original Sydney Sweeney-led campaign drew objections from athletes who argued that its imagery undermined efforts to secure recognition for women’s sporting achievements.
Four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus called it “an absolute joke,” while other competitors responded publicly with videos emphasizing their athletic ability.
Novig has disputed the interpretation that the advertisement was intended to represent women’s sport.
Chief executive Jacob Fortinsky told Front Office Sports that Sweeney’s role was to communicate the platform’s sports focus, emphasizing that she is an actress, not an athlete.
It comes as other celebrities have joined the prediction market advertising space, including LeBron James’ partnership with Polymarket and Timothée Chalamet’s work with Kalshi.
Novig’s Reported $2 Billion Valuation Raises the Stakes
In a previous report, CCN examined accounts placing Novig’s valuation at $2 billion — four times its earlier $500 million valuation.
Two sources told Front Office Sports that the financing could close this winter, potentially before year-end.
Sweeney is an equity holder and a promotional partner, giving her a financial interest in the company’s performance.
Its February announcement disclosed a $75 million Series B led by Pantera Capital, with Multicoin Capital among the participants.
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Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
