Now that we have all seen Sydney Sweeney’s attention-grabbing advert for Novig, let’s break it down. The advert has received extreme backlash from most people, particularly female athletes who have worked so hard over the years to gain respect in a male-dominated field. Most of us know the phrase “sex sells”, which may explain why this sports betting advert focuses on a naked Sydney Sweeney holding various pieces of sports equipment to cover herself. While the advert does not explicitly mention women in sport, its impact is still very problematic. The overt objectification of Sydney Sweeney within a sporting context arguably diminishes perceptions of women’s athletic ability and achievements.
Many athletes, such as professional sprinter Amy Hunt, have commented on the misrepresentation of women in the sporting sphere. In a post-race interview with the BBC, Hunt referenced the advert, saying, “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like, muscles, hard-work, sweat, blood, tears”. Even though the advert only focused on sports betting, Sydney Sweeney repeatedly saying “Sports” and holding various balls and pieces of sports equipment to cover her naked body sends the message that women are only seen for their looks and sex appeal. Pushing aside the real sporting achievements of hard-working professional athletes are almost irrelevant in this advert. Therefore, I want to pose a question: if a professional female athlete were used instead of Sydney Sweeney, would this advert be empowering?
The answer to this is more complicated than a simple yes or no. To understand how this could be empowering, we need to look at ESPN’s ‘The Body Issue’, which ran from 2009 to 2019. These print issues featured various naked athletes on their covers to celebrate the strength and hard work of these athletic bodies. While this could be seen as empowering, it could also be seen as the sexualisation of women, masked by the art of appreciation. The reliance on nudity arguably capitalises on commercial sex appeal and can distract from, or undermine, the impressive sporting achievements that should be the focus.
Now that we have talked about the representation of women in sports, let’s focus on the marketing side of this advert. Arguably, the adverts Sydney Sweeney appears in, such as the controversial American Eagle advert in 2025 and this gambling advert, were created to go viral and generate views. If I am being honest, the only reason I watched this advert was because my friend was so shocked at the blatant sexualisation of women within a sporting context that I had to see it for myself. However this reaction may be exactly what the marketers intended. They want adverts to cause outrage on social media platforms just to gain visibility. And it worked. Hardly any gambling adverts are as memorable, or as talked about, as this one. It has gained over 60 million views on Instagram alone.
This just shows the harsh truth that brands are having to use a form of rage-bait to distinguish themselves from competitors. The backlash surrounding the advert may actually fuel its success. Had you even heard of Novig, as a brand, before this viral discourse?
Ultimately, the controversy surrounding Novig’s advert extends beyond Sydney Sweeney herself. This discussion illuminates broader concerns about how women continue to be represented within sporting contexts, and how brands increasingly rely on outrage to secure attention. Whether viewers see this advert as a harmless marketing or problematic objectification, one thing is undeniable: everyone is talking about it. The conversation has focused far more on Sweeney’s body than Novig’s sports betting platform, suggesting that controversy, rather than the advertised product itself, was always the main selling point. As audiences become more aware of these marketing tactics, the question is not simply whether the advert is sexist, but whether we should continue to reward brands for generating visibility through rage-bait and outrage.
Editor: Meika Broadwood D’Souza