EuroWire, HERZOGENAURACH: adidas has rolled out the latest phase of its global “You Got This” brand campaign, putting the spotlight on how coaches, parents, supporters and teammates can shape an athlete’s confidence through everyday sideline behavior. The sportswear company said the campaign is headlined by a series of films featuring athletes including footballer Aitana Bonmatí, basketball players Anthony Edwards and Aliyah Boston, footballer Trinity Rodman and footballer Lamine Yamal, with each film centered on the people who help them “believe.”
The campaign is tied to adidas-commissioned research into what it calls the “Sideline Effect,” describing how comments, gestures and coaching cues can become either support or pressure. adidas said the research found four in five amateur athletes regularly experience unhelpful behaviors from the sidelines. The company said the campaign is intended to counter negative pressure in sport by encouraging more constructive support in competition and training environments.
adidas said the research was conducted with Focaldata and surveyed 12,438 people aged 16 to 29 in November 2024 across 24 markets, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Building on the findings, adidas introduced “Sideline Essentials,” a set of five recommended positive behaviors designed with sports experts. Florian Alt, adidas vice president for global brand communications, said the aim is to motivate people around sport and provide practical tools that help athletes feel supported.
Research maps sideline behaviors
In outlining the “Sideline Effect,” adidas highlighted examples of behaviors it said are often intended as help but can increase pressure. Those include repeatedly calling out the score or time remaining, stepping away from an athlete who is struggling, and delivering constant instructions that limit a player’s autonomy. adidas also pointed to an overemphasis on outcomes rather than effort, as well as immediate post-game critiques that can deepen doubt when athletes are processing a performance.
The company’s “Sideline Essentials” are framed as direct alternatives. adidas said they include standing by an athlete’s side with encouragement rather than distancing, letting players play with fewer instructions, and using simple pre-agreed gestures to reinforce a game plan. The guidance also emphasizes recognizing effort instead of focusing only on results and reserving analysis for later, with immediate post-match support centered on relationships and reassurance. adidas said behavioral scientists project that adopting even one of the positive behaviors could help encourage up to 20 million more athletes to play sport more regularly.
Campaign expands through stories
adidas has also extended the campaign through longer-form storytelling. In April 2025, the company announced a four-part docuseries titled “Illuminated,” described as being told from the perspective of people closest to featured athletes. adidas said the series stars Edwards, Bonmatí, gymnast Rebeca Andrade and skier Mikaela Shiffrin, with the first episode set to spotlight Edwards and his longtime best friend Nick Maddox and to premiere in mid-April on adidas’ YouTube channel.
The brand has paired the messaging with on-the-ground activations tied to the same guidance. adidas said that in March 2025 it teamed up with footballer Mohamed Salah for a surprise visit to Sefton Park Rangers, a community girls’ football club in Liverpool, to demonstrate positive sideline support. In April 2025, adidas also highlighted a girls basketball skills clinic in Tampa ahead of the Women’s Final Four, led by Candace Parker and adidas’ WNBA partners, as another example of the “Sideline Essentials” in practice.