A new advertising campaign starring Hollywood actor Sydney Sweeney has triggered a debate over the way women and sport are represented in commercial marketing, after several prominent female athletes criticised the campaign as overly sexualised.
The campaign was launched by US sports-prediction company Novig on September 9. Sweeney appears in a series of sports-themed scenes using sporting equipment to cover her body while promoting Novig’s focus on sports prediction. The company says the campaign is designed to put attention on sports rather than other prediction-market categories.
The response has been particularly strong among female athletes. British sprinter Amy Hunt, Australian Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus and other sportswomen have argued that the campaign presents women through their appearance rather than the physical skill, preparation and achievement associated with competitive sport.
Why the Novig campaign has become controversial
Novig describes itself as a sports-focused prediction market rather than a conventional sportsbook. Its platform allows users to trade contracts tied to sporting outcomes and operates under federal commodities regulation in the United States.
Sweeney’s campaign was intended to reinforce that sports-only positioning. Novig said the actress joined the company as a strategic partner and equity holder, making her involvement more substantial than a conventional celebrity endorsement.
The advertising concept deliberately uses provocative imagery. Sweeney appears in sports settings involving basketball, tennis, football, baseball and other equipment, while the campaign repeatedly returns to the message that Novig is focused on “just sports”.
That creative choice has become the central point of criticism.
Athletes responding to the campaign say women in sport already face pressure to be judged on appearance alongside performance. Their argument is that using a celebrity’s sexuality as the dominant visual device in a sports advertisement risks reinforcing that imbalance at a time when women’s sport is receiving greater visibility.
Athletes push back
Amy Hunt, a British sprinter and European championship medallist, directly addressed Sweeney after competing in the women’s 200 metres at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
Hunt contrasted the imagery in the advertisement with the physical reality of elite competition, pointing to the strength, training and effort involved in women’s athletics.
Four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus was also sharply critical. She questioned why women’s bodies continue to be used as a marketing tool in sport and described the campaign as disrespectful to women who have spent years developing their sporting careers.
American gymnast Gracie Kramer was among the athletes who helped turn the reaction into a broader social-media discussion, posting her own sporting footage alongside a message contrasting the advertising imagery with the physical reality of being a female athlete. The response was subsequently echoed by athletes from several sports.
British cyclist Sophie Capewell and other sportswomen have also criticised the campaign, arguing that sexualised representation should not be treated as the default way to attract attention to women’s sport.
Sweeney’s involvement goes beyond acting in the commercial
The controversy is also notable because Sweeney is not simply the face of the campaign.
Novig said she became a strategic partner and equity holder when the campaign launched. The company said she was involved in developing the creative concept, while Sweeney described the idea as playful and intended to focus attention on sports.
That relationship changes the commercial context. Sweeney has a direct business interest in the company’s success rather than functioning only as a paid celebrity appearing in an advertisement.
Novig, meanwhile, is positioning itself in the rapidly developing US prediction-market sector. The company says its platform is restricted to users aged 21 and over and focuses exclusively on sports markets.
Does controversy help the brand?
The campaign has clearly generated substantial attention, but attention and commercial success are not necessarily the same thing.
Advertising observers have noted that provocative campaigns can create enormous social-media reach because criticism and debate encourage people to share the material. Business Insider reported that online mentions of Novig rose sharply following the campaign, although the longer-term effect on customer acquisition and brand perception remains uncertain.
That distinction matters for a relatively young prediction-market company competing for attention in a crowded sector.
The campaign has made Novig part of a much broader conversation involving celebrity marketing, women’s sport, sexualisation and advertising strategy. Whether that translates into sustained users and stronger brand recognition is harder to establish from the initial reaction.
A wider debate about women, sport and advertising
The controversy comes as women’s sport continues to attract larger audiences, sponsorship deals and commercial investment.
That growth has created new opportunities for female athletes but has also intensified discussions about how women are presented by brands and media. The athletes criticising the Novig campaign are not arguing that women should never appear in provocative or revealing imagery. Instead, their objections focus on the decision to use sexualised imagery in a campaign specifically built around sport.
Sweeney’s campaign has therefore become a useful example of the tension between attention-driven advertising and representation in sport.
For Novig, the commercial objective was to make its sports-only identity impossible to ignore. For its critics, the campaign demonstrates precisely why the sports industry still needs to distinguish between celebrating women’s bodies and reducing women to their bodies.
The debate is unlikely to end with the advertisement itself. As brands increasingly use celebrities, social platforms and deliberately provocative creative concepts to compete for attention, the question will remain whether controversy builds meaningful brands or simply produces another viral moment.
For UAE audiences, the campaign is primarily an international entertainment and advertising story. Novig’s platform is a US-based, federally regulated prediction market, so the campaign should not be interpreted as an announcement of a new sports-betting service available to UAE residents.
What happened with Sydney Sweeney’s sports betting ad?
Sydney Sweeney appeared in a provocative sports-prediction campaign for US company Novig. The campaign sparked criticism from female athletes who said it sexualised women in sport.
What company is Sydney Sweeney promoting?
Sweeney is promoting Novig, a US sports-prediction market. Novig says it focuses exclusively on sports prediction markets and operates under federal commodities regulation.
Is Sydney Sweeney a partner in Novig?
Yes. Novig announced Sweeney as a strategic partner and equity holder, rather than simply a celebrity appearing in its advertising.
Which athletes criticised the Sydney Sweeney advertisement?
Among those publicly criticising the campaign are British sprinter Amy Hunt, Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus, gymnast Gracie Kramer and cyclist Sophie Capewell.
Why are female athletes objecting to the advertisement?
Critics argue that the campaign places sexualised imagery ahead of athletic performance and reinforces the idea that women’s appearance is more commercially valuable than their sporting achievements.
Is Novig available in the UAE?
Novig is a US-based prediction market. Its own eligibility information describes its availability in US jurisdictions, so the campaign should not be treated as a sports-betting service announcement for UAE residents.
When was the campaign launched?
Novig announced the Sydney Sweeney campaign on September 9, 2026.
