Female Athletes Speak Out Against Sydney Sweeney's Sports Ad

Actress Sydney Sweeney recently starred in a new advertisement for Novig, a sports prediction app. The ad shows Sweeney using sports equipment to cover parts of her body while wearing little clothing. Many female athletes have spoken out against the ad, saying it sends the wrong message about women in sports. They argue that women athletes should be known for their hard work and skills, not their looks.

Several well-known athletes have publicly criticized the Novig campaign. Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, British sprinter Amy Hunt, American gymnast Gracie Kramer, Australian water polo player Matilda "Tilly" Kearns, and rugby player Sofie Fella have all shared their opinions. Each of them believes the ad is harmful to the progress women in sports have made. They want people to focus on what female athletes can do, not what they look like.

Titmus is one of the most decorated swimmers in the world, having won four Olympic gold medals. She said she was "infuriated" by the advertisement. She argued that the ad makes money off women's bodies and sends a harmful message. She called it a step backward for women who have devoted their lives to their sport.

British sprinter Amy Hunt delivered one of the most talked-about responses after a race in Budapest, Hungary. She looked directly into a BBC camera and said: "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. Muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears." Her words quickly spread across social media. Many people shared her response as criticism of the ad grew louder.

Gymnast Gracie Kramer responded by posting photos of herself training and competing online. She wrote on Instagram that female athletes have often been judged by their appearance instead of their abilities. "This is so much bigger than a moment or a trend," she wrote. She added that she wants young girls to know there are no limits to what they can achieve.

Water polo player Tilly Kearns and rugby player Sofie Fella also voiced their concerns. Kearns shared videos of athletes competing and said the ad was moving the conversation in the wrong direction. Fella argued that female athletes inspire young people because they go beyond traditional beauty standards through their performance and achievements. She said that is why the advertisement felt disrespectful to women competing in sports.

Sweeney has not directly responded to each athlete's criticism. However, she shared images over the weekend from ESPN's Body Issue, which features athletes posing without clothes as a celebration of different body types. Some people saw this as her way of defending the ad. Sweeney has also said she was part of the creative team behind the Novig campaign from the very beginning.

Marketing expert Michael Lewis, a professor at Emory University, explained why the ad caused such a strong reaction. He told Newsweek that Sweeney's style goes against today's cultural ideas about women. "She's a throwback to the 1990s and the old world of sex sells," he said. He also noted that sports prediction companies are growing fast and competing hard to get people's attention.

Other voices have joined the backlash as well. Hybrid athlete Lucy Davis, Olympic weightlifting coach Danielle Bagacay, boxer Skye Nicolson, and swimmer Lani Pallister have all spoken out. Groups like the Female Athlete Project and the Australian Institute of Sport have also shared their concerns. Many of these critics responded by posting their own training videos and athletic achievements to show what women in sports really look like.

This is not the first time Sweeney has been at the center of a controversial ad. In 2025, she faced criticism over an American Eagle campaign that used the slogan "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," which was a play on the words "jeans" and "genes." Some critics said the message carried uncomfortable meaning, while others felt the campaign was being misread. The Novig debate shows that conversations about how women are shown in advertising are far from over.