In September 2026, Novig, a US sports betting startup, launched a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney under the line “Just Sports.” The pitch was that sport is sport, nothing more. Female athletes read it differently. Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus and British sprinter Amy Hunt were among those who publicly called the framing dismissive of everything women athletes have spent careers fighting for. Coca-Cola’s sports drink brand Powerade saw the opening and took it.
The Provocation
Novig’s campaign positioned the platform as one that treats all sports equally, without attaching weight to gender or identity. Sydney Sweeney’s casting added to the noise. A Hollywood actress rather than a female athlete delivering a “just sports” message landed poorly with the athletic community. The backlash spread quickly. Novig still reported a 218% increase in first-time depositors after launch and reached a reported $2 billion valuation. Commercially it worked. Culturally it left the floor open.
The Response
Powerade placed a single line on a Times Square screen. “There is no ‘just’ in sports.” There isn’t a product or athlete, only a statement, in one of the most commercially saturated outdoor media locations in the world, under the hashtag #PowerYourLegacy.
Leah Macko, VP of Brand Marketing at Powerade, described the move as an extension of where the brand already stood. The campaign was developed by WPP Open X, led by Ogilvy, supported by WPP Production.
The Brand Behind the Statement
Powerade’s investment in women’s sport predates this campaign. The brand’s athlete roster includes sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, swimmer Katie Grimes, soccer player Alex Morgan, rapper and basketball player Flau’Jae Johnson, and swimmer Tatjana Smith. That record gave the Times Square statement something to stand on. The #PowerYourLegacy hashtag connected the one-line execution back to that history.
A Times Square DOOH placement is not a social post or a press release. It is a physical statement placed in the same commercial environment that makes sports sponsorship valuable. Putting “There is no ‘just’ in sports” there was a deliberate choice to enter the conversation where it would cost something to say.
Campaign Name: Never Just Sports / #PowerYourLegacy
Agency Name: WPP Open X (led by Ogilvy), WPP Production
Brand Name: Powerade (The Coca-Cola Company)
Location: United States (Times Square, New York)
