Sydney Sweeney’s New Sports Betting Ad Stirs Up Controversy
BY: MIKIYA GREENE / STAFF WRITER
“Euphoria” star and actress Sydney Sweeney has been under fire after the release of her new sports ad, entitled “Just Sports”, with betting brand Novig.
Since its release on Sept. 9, multiple female athletes have spoken out about the campaign, sparking a deeper debate about how women are viewed and represented in sports.
Sweeney partnered with Novig before the start of the 2026-27 NFL season. Sweeney’s role was to be a strategy partner and equity holder in the company and bring promotional attention to the brand.
In the ad, Sweeney poses with various sports accessories and equipment while wearing very minimal clothes, using the accessories to cover her body.
The ad gained traction fast, with reports that it had gotten over 22 million views within the first 48 hours of its release. But that attention quickly turned into controversy.
Female athletes from numerous sports criticized the advertisement, arguing that it presented women through their appearance rather than their athletic accomplishments.
Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, was among the athletes who spoke out.
In a quote from The Guardian, Titmus wrote, “[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.”
“How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?” Titmus concluded.
British sprinter Amy Hunt also responded. After winning fourth place at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, she spoke her mind during an interview with BBC Sport.
“That was incredible, to be part of such an incredible race. Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” she said. “21.4, muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears, a beautiful evening.’’ Her comments were part of a larger response from athletes who posted photos and videos of themselves competing and training.
Former gymnast Gracie Kramer also participated in the response, posting a video of herself competing alongside the message, “this is what a woman in sport looks like.”
The posts helped shift the conversation from Sweeney's advertisement to the broader issue of how women are portrayed in athletics.
Australian athletes also joined the criticism. Hockey player Jocelyn Bartram said the campaign sexualized women's sports.
“There are so many different ways to get people's attention rather than sexualising women's sport once again,’’ she said in a quote pulled from Yahoo. “For another woman to bring female athletes down to such a level when we have fought so long to be recognized by our male counterparts and are still fighting to prove we belong every day just leaves me speechless."
I asked Seawanhaka’s Chief Sports Editor, Madelyn Dibiase, what she thought of the advertisement.
“I don’t like the ad at all,” Dibiase commented. “It erases all the work women have already done to carve their spot in sports. Women have had to work much harder in the sports world to create a name for themselves and put women’s sports on the map.”
The criticism comes as women’s sports continue to gain popularity, media coverage and commercial investment.
Women’s leagues and athletes have attracted larger audiences in recent years, giving female athletes greater platforms to speak about issues involving representation and marketing.
That growing visibility has also changed how companies, like Novig, approach advertising.
Companies increasingly use celebrities, athletes, and social media campaigns to attract younger audiences. The Sweeney campaign demonstrates both the potential benefits and risks of that strategy.
“In terms of society gearing certain ads to a specific audience, I believe that the ad was definitely catered towards men. Men are attracted to Sydney Sweeney, so when this sports betting company created the ad, it was definitely intentional who they were catering to,” she added.
The advertisement generated significant attention for Novig, but much of the discussion focused on the controversy surrounding the campaign rather than the company's sports prediction product.
On the other hand, some people have defended the advertisement and argued that Sweeney should have the freedom to decide how she presents herself.
WNBA player and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham offered a different perspective from many of the athletes criticizing the campaign. Cunningham said the advertisement was clearly designed to appeal to male sports bettors and argued that Sweeney should be allowed to make her own decisions about her career and image.
According to Yahoo Sports, Cunningham asked, “Why are girls mad? Like, that is literally what she does. Why is anyone mad? Like… of course that's going to draw attention. Again, do I agree with it? Morally, I think it's kind of weird, but like, to each their own. Go do your thing, sis.”
Sweeney also appeared to respond to some of the criticism by posting images from ESPN Magazine's “Body Issue,” which featured professional athletes posing nude or semi-nude.
The images included athletes such as Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird.
Supporters of the criticism, however, argued that there is a distinction between professional athletes choosing to participate in a body-focused magazine project and an advertisement using sexual imagery to promote a sports-related business.
The controversy has raised questions about whether generating negative attention can still make an advertising campaign successful.
For Novig, the campaign succeeded in drawing attention to the company and its product. Social media users, athletes, and sports media organizations all contributed to the advertisement's reach.
However, this attention does not necessarily translate into long-term success.
The company will ultimately have to analyze whether the publicity leads to increased customers, stronger brand recognition, and continued engagement with its sports prediction platform.
The debate also highlights the changing relationship between sports advertising and social media.
Unlike traditional advertising, where companies largely control the message surrounding a campaign, social media allows athletes and consumers to immediately respond and create their own narratives.
In this case, athletes leveraged the attention surrounding Sweeney's advertisement to highlight their own accomplishments and challenge the way women are represented in sports.
Therefore, the campaign has become about more than a single advertisement.
For Novig, it represents an attempt to use celebrity marketing and controversy to attract attention to a growing sports business. For its critics, it represents a larger problem with the way women's bodies have historically been used to market sports and entertainment.
As women's sports continue to expand, the response to the Sweeney campaign shows that athletes are increasingly willing to challenge how they are portrayed.
The advertisement may have been called “Just Sports,” but the reaction has created a much broader conversation about women, marketing, and the future of sports.
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