Sydney Sweeney faces backlash over sports betting ad as female athletes accuse campaign of sexualising women in sport: ‘How do we live in a world where we monetize the female body’

Sydney Sweeney

The ad campaign, starring American actor Sydney Sweeney, drew sharp criticism from female athletes who accused the campaign of sexualizing women and undermining the way female athletes are represented in sports.The controversy centers on an ad on sports prediction market platform Novig in which Sweeney appears wearing little or no clothing. Soccer balls and other sports equipment are strategically placed to cover parts of her body.The campaign sparked criticism on social media, with several female athletes claiming the images reinforce the sexualisation of women rather than highlighting athletic ability, strength and achievement.

Ariarne Titmus questions the sexualisation of women’s sport

Four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Ariarne Titmus was among those to express her anger at the campaign.“I can’t describe how furious I feel when I see this,” Titmus wrote on Instagram. “How do we live in a world where the monetization of women’s bodies and the sexualization of women’s sports is still a thing?”British sprinter Amy Hunt also weighed in after her fourth place finish in the 200 meters at Sunday’s Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary.During a post-race interview with the BBC, Hunt directly addressed Sweeney while looking into the camera.“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sports look like,” she said. “Muscles, toil, sweat, blood, tears.”

Former gymnast Gracie Kramer attacked the campaign

Former US gymnast Gracie Kramer called the ad outrageous and drew on her own experience as an athlete.“I’ve spent my entire life competing in a sport where female athletes have been oversexualized, reduced to our bodies, and forced to fight to be taken seriously for what we can actually do,” she said on Instagram.Kramer also shared images of female athletes training alongside the caption: “What a woman in sports looks like.”Chinese-German rugby player Sofie Fella similarly criticized the campaign, saying that female athletes can serve as role models because they can “untangle” society’s expectations around beauty and femininity.“And that’s why the Sydney Sweeney ad is so disrespectful to every female athlete in the world,” Fella said in an Instagram post.

Sydney Sweeney’s obvious answer

Novig did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, while Sweeney’s publicist also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Amid the backlash, Sweeney appeared to reference the debate over the weekend by posting a series of ESPN The Magazine “Body Issue” covers on social media.The annual special edition featured athletes posing nude or semi-nude and presented the images as a celebration of different body types.A two-time Emmy nominee, Sweeney also played a role directly related to sports. She starred in and produced last year’s “Christy,” a biopic about American professional boxer Christy Martin.

Sydney Sweeney in boxing biopic ‘Christy’ (AP Photo)

The latest controversy isn’t the first time Sweeney’s brand campaign has sparked significant online debate. Her 2025 American Eagle campaign, which used the homophones “jeans” and “genes”, also sparked widespread debate.