A commercial featuring actor Sydney Sweeney for sports trading app Novig has prompted criticism from female athletes in Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada. The dispute centres on whether the campaign promotes sport or relies on the sexualisation of a woman’s body to attract attention.
The advertisement has also reopened a wider debate about representation, commercialisation and the way women in sport are presented to the public. Novig describes the campaign as a playful effort to keep attention on sports, while several athletes argue that its imagery undermines years of work to have women recognised for performance rather than appearance.
What is in the Sydney Sweeney advertisement?
In the commercial, Sweeney appears wearing little clothing while using sporting equipment to cover her body. Footballs, a baseball bat, a hockey stick and a tennis racket feature as she repeats the word “sports” before promoting Novig’s focus on sports-related opinions and betting.
Novig is an American sports trading app, and Sweeney is described as both a strategic partner and an equity holder in the company. The advertisement says the platform does not offer betting on wars or deaths, or on political events, instead presenting itself as focused solely on sport.
Sweeney said the concept was intended to be confident, humorous and playful, with the campaign designed to cut through competing forms of online content. Critics, however, say the visual presentation makes the actor’s body the central attraction rather than the sports themselves.
Why have female athletes criticised the campaign?
The strongest objections have come from women involved in elite sport. Their criticism is not simply about one celebrity endorsement; it reflects longstanding concerns about how female athletes and women’s bodies are marketed.
Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medallist, described the advertisement as deeply upsetting. She argued that it was disrespectful to women who dedicate their lives to training and competition, as well as to people who participate in sport for teamwork, friendship and personal achievement.
Australian boxer Skye Nicolson drew a distinction between an athlete appearing confident or attractive and sex being used to sell a product associated with sport. Canadian skier Cassidy Gray, who competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics, also criticised the campaign while discussing the pressure female athletes face to deal with sexualisation and unequal opportunities.
British athletes have expressed similar concerns. Sprinter Amy Hunt contrasted the advertisement with the physical reality of elite competition, pointing to the muscles, effort, injuries and emotional strain involved in reaching the highest level.
The Female Athlete Project, an organisation focused on women in sport, said the campaign contributed to a culture in which women’s bodies are treated as commodities. Supporters of the advertisement have responded that responsibility should also be directed towards the advertising agency and the company that commissioned the campaign, rather than towards Sweeney alone.
The wider debate about women, sport and advertising
The controversy highlights a difficult question for advertisers: can a campaign use glamour or sexual confidence without reducing women to their appearance?
Women athletes have frequently challenged narrow expectations about how they should look. Some campaigns have celebrated strength, athletic bodies and individuality, while others have been criticised for presenting women primarily as objects for visual consumption.
That distinction matters because sport can provide important role models for young people. Hunt warned that advertising which places excessive emphasis on appearance may create another obstacle for girls who are already questioning whether they belong in sport.
Her argument was that the most useful message is not what an athlete looks like, but what their body can do. Elite performance often involves exhaustion, pain, disappointment and sustained discipline—qualities that are rarely visible in polished commercial imagery.
Sweeney’s apparent response
Sweeney appears to have responded to the criticism by sharing images from ESPN Magazine’s Body Issue on Instagram Stories. The issue has previously featured nude or semi-nude portraits of prominent athletes, including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey and Megan Rapinoe.
The apparent response suggests that nude sports photography can also be used to celebrate athletic bodies and individual identity. Critics of the Novig commercial, however, say the context is different: the ESPN images focused on athletes and their relationship with sport, while the Novig campaign promotes a commercial betting product through celebrity sexuality.
That distinction remains central to the disagreement. Supporters view the advertisement as an intentionally provocative piece of marketing. Opponents see it as another example of a familiar advertising formula in which women’s bodies attract attention to a product that has little connection to the campaign’s visual message.
What happens next?
There is no indication in the available information that Novig has withdrawn the advertisement or that Sweeney has ended her relationship with the company. The campaign has nevertheless generated substantial online attention, demonstrating how controversy can increase the reach of a commercial even when the reaction is negative.
For advertisers, the episode raises questions about whether viral visibility should be treated as success when the campaign alienates the very communities associated with its subject matter. For athletes, it adds to a continuing push for coverage and sponsorships that emphasise ability, achievement and participation.
Conclusion
The Sydney Sweeney sports betting advertisement has become a flashpoint in the debate over women’s bodies in commercial culture. Novig and Sweeney present it as playful sports-focused marketing, while female athletes argue that its imagery sexualises sport and risks reinforcing outdated stereotypes. The lasting issue is whether future campaigns will show women primarily as performers and participants—or continue to use their bodies as the headline attraction.
