{"id":892161,"date":"2026-09-14T22:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T22:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/892161\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T22:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T22:24:16","slug":"sydney-sweeney-this-is-what-women-in-sport-look-like-female-athletes-spark-backlash-against-viral-advert-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/892161\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like\u2019: female athletes spark backlash against viral advert | Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"

The US actor Sydney Sweeney is facing a backlash from female Olympians and other athletes, who have accused her of demeaning and sexualising women\u2019s sports<\/a> by appearing in a controversial advert for a sports prediction company.<\/p>\n

In the viral commercial for Novig, which was viewed more than 22 million times in the first two days of its release, Sweeney\u2019s nude body is covered by footballs, basketballs, and other sports equipment, as she tells users they can bet on \u201cjust sports\u201d. After saying \u201csports\u201d nine times, she appears topless on a pool table, before saying: \u201cYou can\u2019t trade this, I just look good here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The advert has led to a storm of protest led by the British sprinter Amy Hunt, who won four European Championship gold medals last month. After finishing fourth in the 200m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship on Sunday evening, Hunt said: \u201cSydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like: 21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears. This is a beautiful evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was a reference to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden\u2019s winning time of 21.47 seconds, the fourth-fastest women\u2019s 200m, and Hunt went on to reveal the painful realities she and other sports stars faced. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a woman in sport, it\u2019s not pretty,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not glamorous. It\u2019s not sexy all the time, definitely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some low moments. Even turning up to this championship, my period started yesterday, so that\u2019s not really ideal, and that\u2019s not ever what you try to really plan for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The British Olympic cycling gold medallist Sophie Capewell was also deeply critical of the advert. \u201cImagine a world where sexualised representation isn\u2019t the most popular way of seeing women in sport,\u201d Capewell said on social media.<\/p>\n

In Australia, there was also widespread fury with the four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus leading the charge. \u201cI can\u2019t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,\u201d she wrote. \u201cNot only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is \u2013 teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity.<\/p>\n

The Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus said the ad campaign was \u2018a kick in the face\u2019. Photograph: Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Marit\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do we live in a world where monetising a woman\u2019s body and sexualising women\u2019s sport is still a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hundreds of athletes took inspiration from the American gymnast Gracie Kramer, who posted footage of her competing under the message \u201cthis is what a woman in sport looks like\u201d on an Instagram post<\/a> that was liked more than a million times.<\/p>\n

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Sweeney appeared to respond to the criticism by posting a series of images of prominent female and male athletes posing naked for magazine shoots, including Serena Williams and the footballer Megan Rapinoe and the basketball player Sue Bird.<\/p>\n

The public relationship consultant Mark Borkowski, who has worked with everyone from Mikhail Gorbachev to Diego Maradona, said he felt the advert was \u201ccynical soft porn\u201d, but that the controversy would benefit Novig \u201cgiven the number of eyeballs on it\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Borkowski said: \u201cSex still sells. And her sexuality, the outrage, the culture war argument gets you one thing: enormous reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Borkowksi also questioned whether Sweeney, who has starred in several successful TV series and films including Euphoria, The White Lotus and The Housemaid, may one day regret her decision. \u201cSweeney will make a lot of money over a short span of time,\u201d he said. \u201cBut often it is about how your brand sustains over the years, not in the first flourish. And this sort of promotion can come back to haunt people.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s clearly got assets and she exploits them. But women sometimes struggle to be taken seriously as they get older because they\u2019ve ploughed this line. She is making money in a Kardashian way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The advert has been defended by Jacob Fortinsky, the founder and chief executive of Novig, which launched last month. \u201cSydney is great at captivating audiences and being the centre of attention,\u201d he said. \u201cIn some sense, it forces us into the national discourse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortinsky also pushed back against criticisms of the adult nature of the content, pointing out that Novig is restricted to users aged 21 and older. He added that Sweeney had approached the company about an equity partnership and helped to craft its message.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time an advert featuring Sweeney has attracted controversy. Last year American Eagle\u2019s \u201cSydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans\u201d campaign used a play on \u201cjeans\u201d and \u201cgenes\u201d<\/a>, including references to the blue-eyed actor\u2019s inherited traits, sparked a culture war, with some saying it invoked eugenics.<\/p>\n

Several months after the controversy erupted, Sweeney said she had been unaware of it as she had been filming Euphoria. \u201cAnyone who knows me knows that I\u2019m always trying to bring people together,\u201d she said<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m against hate and divisiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n