Hollywood actor Sydney Sweeney has found herself at the centre of another advertising controversy after a provocative campaign for sports prediction platform Novig triggered criticism from Olympic champions and female athletes, who accused the advertisement of sexualising women in sport. The campaign features the 29-year-old Euphoria star in minimal or no clothing while posing with equipment associated with sports including basketball, football, tennis, baseball and hockey, with strategically positioned sporting gear covering parts of her body.
The advertisement was designed around Novig’s message of focusing on “just sports”, but its imagery has generated a very different conversation. Several athletes have argued that the campaign reduces women’s relationship with sport to physical appearance at a time when female competitors have fought for greater recognition of their performances, strength and professionalism. The criticism has rapidly spread across social media, with athletes posting footage from their own competitions and training sessions to contrast the campaign with the realities of elite sport.
Olympians hit back
Four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus was among the most prominent figures to condemn the advertisement, describing it as deeply frustrating and disrespectful to women who have spent years perfecting their sporting craft. Titmus argued that sport represents teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence and unity, questioning why the sexualisation and commercialisation of women’s bodies remained part of sports marketing.
British sprinter Amy Hunt also joined the backlash after finishing fourth in the 200 metres at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest. Hunt stressed that female athletes can embrace femininity and enjoy looking good while simultaneously expecting their sporting performances to be taken seriously. American gymnast Gracie Kramer helped fuel a wider social-media response by posting footage of herself performing and contrasting it with Sweeney’s campaign under the message that this was what a woman in sport actually looked like.
Australian water polo Olympic silver medallist Tilly Kearns, swimmer Lani Pallister and world champion boxer Skye Nicolson were among several other athletes to criticise the advertisement. Nicolson said there was an important distinction between athletes embracing femininity and using sexual imagery to sell sport, calling on companies to stop sexualising women in sporting campaigns.
Sweeney responds
Sweeney has described the campaign as a playful attempt to cut through advertising noise and put attention on sport. She is more than the public face of Novig’s campaign, having joined the company as a strategic partner and equity holder. As criticism intensified, the actor appeared to respond by sharing images from ESPN’s celebrated Body Issue, which previously featured elite athletes posing nude, including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Megan Rapinoe and other prominent sporting figures.
The controversy follows criticism Sweeney faced over American Eagle’s “great jeans” campaign in 2025, which generated a wider debate around its “jeans” and “genes” wordplay. Her latest advertisement has again divided opinion, with critics arguing that it represents a setback for the portrayal of female athletes, while others have defended women’s ability to express sexuality without it being considered incompatible with strength or sporting achievement.