Euphoria Star Sydney Sweeney is facing major backlash after starring in controversial sports prediction advertisement.
If you have TikTok downloaded and keep up with pop culture, you could have probably guessed what this article was going to be about just by reading the title. But just in case you have had the privilege of not seeing “Novig’s” most recent advertisement, let me ruin your day. Just a year after facing backlash for her advertisement with American Eagle, where she seemingly promoted eugenics, stating she had good genes/jeans, Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney is back in the hot seat with another wildly sexual ad. Except this time, there is no argument on whether or not she’s trying to “sell sex”, because she appears completely nude on screen.
Novig is a sports prediction app that overly prides itself on focusing on sports solely. “No betting on wars, or death. No politics.” is the line said by Sweeney as she covers only her intimate areas with various pieces of sports equipment. “The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.” Sweeney stated in a promotional article for the advertisement. She is now a strategic partner and equity holder for Novig.
You may have heard the phrase “any publicity is good publicity” and in this case, that happens to be true. Novig is a new company having been founded in 2021, and before this advertisement, I personally had never heard of them. The sports trading and betting industry has grown tremendously within the past few years, with major companies like Kalshi, DraftKings, and Fanduel ruling the market. If you watch sports, you have probably recognized these names from their dominant commercial time.
This campaign has sparked debate and intense online discourse about the potential negative impact that it has on the millions of women in the sports world. Sports and sports betting has a male dominated audience; using the concept that “sex sells” to get their attention is not only harmful to women, but embarrassing for their entire team. Why is your best marketing idea to get men’s attention and promote your company by putting a naked woman on consumers screens? This commercial also plays into the system of rape culture that is present in our society today; where women are soley seen as sexual objects, and nothing more.
Many professional female athletes have responded, going to platforms like instagram to express their outrage. Amy Hunt, decorated English sprinter, referenced Sweeney at the Ultimate Athletics Championship in Budapest. “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. 21.4, muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears, a beautiful evening.” (Hunt). Olympic swimmers, gymnasts, and female athletes of all levels and disciplines have reacted to this advertisement in some way, further publicizing the controversy, and the advertisement.
As someone who aspires to work in the sports media industry, this advertisement fills me with rage (if it was not obvious already). But more than anything, I was disappointed. When Sydney Sweeney started gaining popularity I remembered looking at her as a great and relatable actress. There are old interviews of her expressing how being oversexualized makes her uncomfortable, and how she feels as though she has no control over her own body image anymore. In other instances, she talks about how it feels to be a woman with a larger chest, as that poses many fashion, health, and body image issues. This switch up, and her constant objectification of herself (and in turn other women) is extremely disappointing.
Women’s athletics has come a very long way. In the past few years we have seen not only a rise in viewership, but a rise in the development of professional women’s sports leagues (the PWHL in 2024 and the WPBL in 2026). However, we still have a very long way to go when it comes to respecting female athletes. Possibly one of the most repulsive examples of this is the constant harassment of WNBA players by fans who throw sex toys on the court during games. This is not something that has ever been observed in an NBA game. Novig’s advertisement is extremely harmful to all athletes, but it has opened the floor for a discussion about the sexualization of all athletes. I doubt this is the last time we will see Sydney Sweeney as the face of degrading and sexualization of women, but it does not make it any less disappointing every time.