Sydney Sweeney’s provocative Novig campaign has triggered criticism from prominent female athletes, who say the advertisement sexualizes women in sport and distracts from their strength, skill and achievements.
LOS ANGELES: Actress Sydney Sweeney is facing a wave of criticism from female athletes and Olympians over a new advertising campaign for sports prediction platform Novig that features her posing with little clothing and using sporting equipment to cover her body.
The campaign, promoted under the “Just Sports” theme, was designed to emphasize Novig’s focus on sports prediction rather than politics or other subjects. But the commercial has sparked a broader debate about the way women are portrayed in sports advertising.
Australian Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus was among the most prominent critics. Titmus said she was deeply angered by the campaign, arguing that it diminished the dedication of women who spend years training and competing.
Her comments were echoed by athletes across several sports, who used social media to highlight their own performances and argue that women in sport should be recognized for their athletic ability rather than their appearance.
American gymnast Gracie Kramer posted a montage of her sporting achievements alongside a message contrasting the campaign with what she described as the reality of women in sport. The post received widespread engagement and was supported by other athletes, including Olympic diver Kassidy Cook.
British sprinter Amy Hunt also criticized the campaign during an interview following competition at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
“This is what women in sport look like,” Hunt said, pointing instead to the physical strength, training and commitment required to compete at the highest level.
Australian sprinter Bree Rizzo said women athletes represent much more than appearance, highlighting strength, resilience, confidence, skill and dedication.
Australian world champion boxer Skye Nicolson similarly argued that there is a distinction between an athlete embracing her femininity and using sexuality as a marketing tool for sport.
The backlash has spread beyond Olympic competitors, with athletes from gymnastics, athletics, boxing, swimming and other disciplines joining the criticism.
Sweeney has not publicly issued a detailed response to the criticism. However, she appeared to address the controversy on Instagram by sharing images of prominent male and female athletes who have posed nude or partially nude for magazine features, including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki.
The actress has also been closely involved with Novig beyond appearing in its campaign. Reports say Sweeney is a strategic partner and equity holder in the company, making her role more substantial than that of a conventional celebrity spokesperson.
Novig’s campaign has nevertheless succeeded in generating enormous attention for the relatively new sports prediction platform, demonstrating the commercial power — and potential risks — of celebrity-led advertising.
For its critics, however, the controversy is less about Sweeney’s personal choice and more about the message created when a major sports campaign uses a woman’s body as its central selling point.
The debate has once again placed a familiar question at the center of women’s sport: Are female athletes being valued primarily for what they can achieve, or are they still being judged first by how they look?
