Think You Know Sports? Why Women’s Sports Deserve More

Being a woman in any male dominated field has never been easy. Sports is a field in which men have always been in the headlines, despite the immense amount of female athletes that have worked night and day to earn their spot. In recent years, the acknowledgment of women athletes has grown tremendously. Names such as Alysa Liu, Angel Reese, and Caitlin Clark are some of the most discussed athletes right now, overtaking media outlets all over the United States. In 2024, it was found by UN Women that nearly 50% of the United States followed women’s sports, compared to closer to 45% only two years prior. The push for representation in women’s sports is clearly making an impact. So why is it that the most discussed woman in sports right now, is someone who doesn’t play sports at all? 

On September 9th, 2026, NOVIG released an advertisement starring popular actress Sydney Sweeney. NOVIG is a recently released sports-betting app that promotes direct betting and trading. The ethics of this company and sports betting as a whole, is a concerning subject in and of itself. However, what seems to be striking the most controversy, is the ad’s depiction of women in sports. The commercial features Sydney Sweeney highlighting a variety of different sports, all while completely unclothed, covered by nothing but sports equipment. Everything within the ad is clearly catered towards men, and has little to do with actual sports. It makes sense as to why something of this caliber would cause outrage, especially for women. Being taken seriously in sports is something that women have spent decades striving for. And just as women feel as though things are moving in the right direction, something like this removes the spotlight from legitimate athletes. Professional athletes, such as Amy Hunt, an Olympic sprinter, went on to protest the advertisement, stating, “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like.” This statement seems to be a universal feeling amongst women. 

As a woman myself, I understand the outrage. Being sexualized is almost inevitable as a woman, and it’s disheartening that this seems to be what garners the most attention online, as opposed to actual hard-working women in sports. However, I do also find frustration in who is being targeted in the backlash of this advertisement. Sydney Sweeney is far from an unproblematic figure in modern day pop culture. She has been in a series of controversies, and this only continues to grow. However, I see little discussion about why ads like this exist in the first place, and how much of a role the company itself played. 

The idea that something like this can ‘set women back years’ is demoralizing. Women should be able to make risky choices and not have them reflect femininity as a whole. The true thing that sets us back is the concept that women must follow a straight set of rules in order to be taken seriously. 

The company that curated the ad knew what they were doing, and knew it would stir the pot. They care little about the opinion of women, and more about gaining attention. NOVIG is blatantly using women’s outrage to fuel their brand, and it’s working. The company uses the sexualization of women to obtain male attention, and uses the outlandish nature of the ad to spark female attention as well. In the grand scheme of things, we will always be criticized, no matter what is done. 

While Sydney Sweeney continues to engage with these harmful companies, we should not let instances like this hold us back from pushing forward. It takes so much to be seen as a strong and independent woman, and seeing something you cherish be boiled down to sex can be enraging. Feminism is a framework that is still being built. Ads like NOVIG’s support the idea that women do not deserve to be respected in sports, and I can only say that this is far from true. 

The strength of women continues to impress me, and it is incredible to see how far we have come. My only hope is that women athletes continue to be praised, and they refuse to let instances like this diminish their hard work and efforts. We cannot allow oversexualized depictions of females to overshadow the reality, which is that women in sports are shining brighter than ever before, and that recognition will only continue to become more prominent. 

• feminism
• sports
• women