Female athletes and sports figures have pushed back against a viral sports gambling advertisement starring actress Sydney Sweeney, who used athletic equipment to cover herself while naked, sparking widespread debate across women’s sports regarding how female competitors are represented.
Athletes Criticize the Novig Campaign and Objectification
The promotional video for bookmaker Novig features American actress Sydney Sweeney, 29, starring in the television series Euphoria and her films include Anyone But You and The Housemaid, posing naked while holding various pieces of sports equipment under the company’s “Just Sports” branding. The campaign drew immediate condemnation from prominent female Olympians and competitors who argued the imagery reduces female athletes to their appearance rather than their athletic achievements.
British sprinter Amy Hunt voiced her frustrations after running a season’s best 22.10 seconds to finish fourth in the 200m final at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday, who became a four-time European champion earlier this summer. Pointing to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s winning time of 21.47 seconds, the fourth fastest ever over the distance, Hunt stated in her post-race interview with BBC Sport: Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like, adding: 21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears. This is a beautiful evening.
“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,”
Amy Hunt, British sprinter, via BBC Sport
Hunt later hit out at the campaign on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, noting that the imagery creates unwanted barriers when attempting to keep young girls engaged in physical activity. Citing statistics showing that 64 per cent of young girls drop out of exercise and sport before they reach the age of 16, Hunt stressed the importance of empowering young girls and young women and young people to show that you really can just get out there and you don’t have to worry what you look like or what you’re wearing, whether professional or kind of just going to do a park run with your friends.
International Backlash from Olympians and Olympiad Competitors
The condemnation spanned multiple sports and nations, with former Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus among those who spoke out against Sydney slamming the advert.
She Said Female Athletes Have a Right to Be OUTRAGED Over Sydney Sweeney… Got Schooled! (Satire)
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this. Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who had dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every women who enjoys sports for what it really is – teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellent, unity.”
Photo: Marca
Ariarne Titmus, former Australian Olympic swimmer
World champion boxer Skye Nicolson joined the criticism, writing: Respectfully Sydney Sweeney, This is sport… Stop sexualizing women in sport. Other athletes, including Sophie Capewell, Lisa Neumann, Ellie Boatman, and Tilly Kearns, also joined the broader backlash. Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley, 25, who is a former professional rugby player, weighed in on the campaign in an interview with Talk Sport, stating: We've worked hard to earn respect for the sport we play and not how we look. Jodie, who joined the reboot of Gladiators in 2023 under her alter ego ‘Fury’, previously earned an impressive sports career making it to the GB Women rugby sevens provisional squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics and winning the Deaf Sports Personality of the Year award that year, before signing up for Exeter Chiefs Women in 2022 and announcing she was leaving rugby sevens due to injury in 2024. Jodie added that the advert is more focused on female bodies and how they look rather than the actual sport and what bodies can achieve.
American gymnast Gracie Kramer initiated a digital counter-trend by posting a montage of herself training with the caption, I don't know what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what women in sport look like. The backlash included many other athletes from a range of sports posting videos of themselves competing or training, and describing the frustrations and struggles they have faced throughout their careers.
Kramer told BBC World Service’s Newshour that she “did not expectthe reaction to her post andjust wanted to uplift women and remind them that you may see these types of ads but remember that this is not the only thing that matters. Accustomed to receivingvery demeaning and objectifying” messages from men because of competing in a leotard as a gymnast, she noted that the experience made her feel strong enough to stand up for the women that do not want to be objectified and do not want to be looped into this unfortunate narrative.
Novig co-founder Jacob Fortinsky defended the company’s choices, asserting that the organization strongly supports women’s sports while emphasizing that Sweeney was appearing strictly in her capacity as an actress and that the company never intended to portray female sports.
Female Athletes Are Shaming Sydney Sweeney Over Her Novig Ad
“As a company, we’re hugely supportive of women’s sports. We never intended to portray female sports.”
Jacob Fortinsky, Novig co-founder
Sweeney, who is also a strategic partner and equity holder in Novig, has not directly addressed the criticism, though she appeared to respond indirectly by sharing images from ESPN’s former “Body Issue” shoots featuring professional athletes.
Golf star Charley Hull also stepped into the discussion with a characteristically blunt message, suggesting people are overthinking an actress and model working her regular job. Writing on Instagram, Hull stated: My opinion on the @sydney_sweeney advert? People are genuinely getting pissed off because an actress/model is… modelling in an advert. That is quite literally her job, adding that Not everything needs a 45-minute psychological breakdown and a public inquiry.
