There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and yet once again, Sydney Sweeney has found herself at the centre of an internet controversy.
You don’t even have to be chronically online to have at least heard about her new sports betting ad. A naked Sweeney using two American footballs over her breasts as she mumbles, “Think you know sports? Prove it”, with another shot of her sitting casually perched in a basketball net.
Now, here’s the thing. It’s no longer about the nudity itself; we see so much of it in pop culture that it barely feels shocking anymore. And it’s not to say women can’t express seductiveness the way they want, each to their own.
It’s how it’s being expressed, what it’s rooted in, and the context around it.
People have argued that the ad undermines women in sport, and it’s hard to argue against that. Athletes have since jumped in to defend the years of hard work and dedication that have gone into their careers, making the point that women in sport deserve to be recognised for their ability, rather than reduced to their bodies.
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Four-time European champion Amy Hunt said in a post-race interview with BBC Sport: “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like.”
“This is what women in sport look like.”Amy Hunt celebrates sportswomen after her race at the Ultimate Championship.It comes amid criticism of Sydney Sweeney for her appearance in an advert for a sports betting company. pic.twitter.com/e3cK6Gcm8Y
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 14, 2026
BBC Sport / Via x.com
Olympic swimming gold medalist Ariarne Titmus wrote on Instagram: “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this. How do we live in a world where monetizing a woman’s body and sexualizing women’s sport is still a thing?”
Meanwhile, American gymnast Gracie Kramer shared a montage of herself training, writing: “I don’t know what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what women in sport look like”.She also shared an Instagram Story calling the ad “infuriating”.
produnova’s shaved eyebrow / Via x.com
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But there’s another, slightly less discussed issue woven into the controversy: Sweeney is ultimately promoting a gambling company. In 2026, that feels like a pretty questionable choice in itself, given the dangers that can come with.In the midst of it all, we have to remind ourselves how exactly celebrities stay relevant…By keeping the conversation alive around them, and we’re doing just that.
We’ve fallen prey once again. First, it was the diabolical American Eagle ‘great jeans’ ad, which I, quite frankly, have no defence for, and there are still many unanswered questions about the multitudes of people who signed off on that and thought, “Yeah, this is great”.
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It’s recently been reported she’s lost 200,000 Instagram followers off the back of the ad, but she still has around 25 million followers – and, more importantly, she has the entire internet talking about her.
Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images for Lionsgate
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Now, here’s where it gets interesting. It’s worth noting Sweeney is an equity holder in the betting company, Novig. She’s also served as the executive producer on a handful of her own films: The Housemaid (2025), Immaculate (2024), and Anyone But You (2023).
So this isn’t just about an actress agreeing to do a sexy advert. Sweeney is seemingly increasingly building a strategic business, and controversy appears to be part of that.
We’re living in a rage-bait economy, and yet, the penny still hasn’t dropped.
We could just swipe across and ignore it, but instead we amplify it. We post about it, argue about it, write articles about it (as I am right now), make videos about it and, ultimately, make it more prominent.
Attention makes money, sadly.
Empowerment? Exploitation? Simply capitalism? Maybe we’ve been so busy arguing over Sydney Sweeney that we’ve failed to notice she’s already achieved what she set out to do.
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