Actress Sydney Sweeney is drawing sharp rebukes from professional female athletes over a new advertisement for the sports prediction platform NoVig, in which she appears nude or nearly nude while engaging with sports imagery. The 42-second spot opens with Sweeney asking the camera, “Think you know sports? Prove it,” while holding two footballs over her chest. Subsequent scenes show her perched on a basketball hoop, crouching in front of a hockey goal, and reclining on a soccer bench, all with minimal clothing.
The backlash has been swift and vocal across social media, with athletes from gymnastics, boxing, and surfing condemning the ad as objectifying and detrimental to the progress of women in sports. American gymnast Gracie Kramer posted on Instagram, “idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing but this is what a women in sports looks like,” adding the caption “because it really is that deep.” Australian professional boxer Skye Nicolson remarked that Sweeney is “giving the ad campaign exactly what they wanted, but honestly these companies need to do better.”
Australian surfer Felicity Palmateer told CNN she was in “absolute utter disbelief” and found the ad “very damaging” for female athletes. “Just absolute utter disbelief, incredibly disappointing, like, how far you can put women’s sports backwards in the space of a 42-second commercial,” she said. The criticism comes amid broader debates about the treatment of female athletes and the growing influence of prediction markets in sports, which have already raised concerns about harassment and integrity.
Sweeney has not publicly responded to the backlash, but reports indicate she approached NoVig about participating in the ad. The company’s CEO told Front Office Sports that Sweeney was “great at captivating audiences and being the center of attention.” This is not the first time Sweeney has faced controversy over her promotional work; she previously drew criticism for an American Eagle jeans ad that some accused of promoting eugenics. In response to past backlash, Sweeney told Variety, “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think.”
The ad has also reignited discussions about the objectification of women in sports media and marketing. Critics argue that such campaigns undermine the credibility of female athletes and distract from their achievements. The controversy arrives as Congress weighs new protections for college athletes harassed by bettors, and as states push back against the expansion of prediction markets. The intersection of celebrity endorsements, sports betting, and gender politics is becoming a flashpoint in the broader cultural conversation.
NoVig, a platform that allows users to wager on sports outcomes, has defended the ad as a provocative marketing tactic. However, many in the sports community see it as a step backward. The incident highlights the ongoing tension between commercial interests and the push for gender equality in sports, a debate that shows no signs of abating.
