Novig Ad Featuring Sydney Sweeney Sparks Debate on Women and Sports

Graphic By Sahana Lynch

By Kayla Marine

Sydney Sweeney was at the center of an advertising controversy surrounding the Novig

sports ad campaign. On Sept. 9, Novig, a sports prediction platform that lets users predict sporting events, launched its first national advertising campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney. The campaign, titled “Just Sports,” showcases Sweeney being photographed with various sports equipment with little to no clothing. Throughout the advertisement, she pretends to play basketball, tennis, golf and hockey before promoting Novig as a sports-focused platform. The campaign has drawn significant backlash and heavy criticism from female athletes and the public, who say that it sexualizes women in sports.

This advertisement became very popular upon its release, but many female athletes took their concerns to social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to voice their concerns. Ariarne Titmus, a retired four-time Olympic gold medalist, was one of the many athletes who utilized social media to publicly criticize the advertisement. On her Instagram story, she wrote, “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this. Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is.” After her post went viral, American gymnast Gracie Kramer also responded to the advertisement with an Instagram reel stating: “[I don’t know] what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.” Kramer’s Instagram post shows the athlete in various

sports. It highlights the strength needed in competition and the effort and skills involved in each sport. Her post quickly went viral and encouraged many other women in sports to follow the same trend. Many other women posted TikTok videos and Instagram reels to highlight their athletic achievements and experiences in sports.

The Novig advertisement has led to a controversial debate about the portrayal of women in sports. Many argue that, in this ad, the focus on Sydney Sweeney’s body takes away from athletic skills—such as strength, training, competition and achievement—and instead focuses on appearance. The controversy surrounding the Novig advertisement shows how one marketing campaign can be misinterpreted or offensive to viewers. This ad raises concerns about the sexualization of women over the achievement of female athletes.

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