Sydney Sweeney, Novig Face Sports Pro Backlash Over Ad

Sydney Sweeney and Novig are facing a wave of anger following the actress’s controversial campaign ad for the prediction market. And maybe that’s just the point of one of the most headline-grabbing ad campaigns this year.

“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” said British runner, Amy Hunt, following the recent World Athletics Ultimate Championship. “Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears. This is a beautiful evening.”

Sweeney appeared nude in a two-minute ad for Novig this week as the NFL season started. The “just sports” angle in the video left little to the imagination, but it’s leaving female sports stars unimpressed.

Kramer: ‘This is What a Woman Looks Like’

Leading the charge of the “objectification” of women in sports ads was gymnast, Gracie Kramer.

“IDK what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like”, Kramer posted on her Instagram feed, atop a compilation of her best vaults.

Sweeney’s Novig ad was launched with little fanfare and to the great surprise of prediction market customers and the wider public alike.

“Think you know sports?” she starts by asking, before challenging Novig customers to prove their prowess.

Sweeney takes the “just sports” tag literally, appearing throughout covered only in well-positioned sports equipment, including hockey masks and footballs.

Female Stars Line Up Behind Kramer

After receiving over 1.2 million likes for her Insta post, Kramer inspired other female pro sports stars to open up.

Most vocal, perhaps, was British running star Amy Hunt, back from winning multiple golds at the European Athletics Championships.

Hunt called the Sydney Sweeney ad a “barrier” to girls wanting to participate in sports.

Speaking to daytime show, ‘Good Morning Britain’, Hunt said that female athletes wanted to “provide role models for young people and young women in sport”. Athletes, she added, want to show “that it’s about what your body can do, not so much what it looks like.”

The Times’ Harriet Walker went one further, slamming the “level of nudity” and “provocative sexual poses” of the Novig ad. “I find that incredibly depressing,” she added.

What they Said: Sweeney vs the Sports Pros

• Sydney Sweeney: “It’s [Just Sports campaign] about embracing a fun idea. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”
• Amy Hunt (athlete): “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sports look like”
• Marissa Womack (Harrisberg Senators): “This is already a male-dominated field where we are constantly having to prove why we belong.”
• Gracie Kramer (gymnast): “To see women's sports once again being marketed through the male gaze feels like a massive step backward.”
• Ariarne Titmus (swimmer): “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 – teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity.”

Novig Ad Doing Its Job

There’s no doubt that more people will have heard of Novig now than before Sweeney bared all for two minutes of YouTube time.

For public relations alone, Novig arguably have achieved more than LeBron James or any sporting legend could have achieved.

With the Sweeney tie-up, the fledgeling prediction market is obviously keen to muscle in, and make up ground, on the territory occupied by Kalshi and Polymarket.

Novig only went live in the summer but racked up $125 million in first week trading volume. At $500 million, its valuation lags way behind that of its bigger rivals. However, with the column inches generated by the Sweeney ad, it can put itself in the mix.

Novig only launched last month but recorded a first week of trading 20 times that of Kalshi when it went live in 2021.

Sweeney’s Previous Ad Controversy

Sweeney’s move into prediction markets isn’t the first time she has courted controversy off the screen.

In 2025, the ‘Euphoria’ star appeared in an ad campaign for jeans company, American Eagle.

The “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign drew huge criticism over its perceived use of eugenics-style language with a play on “genes”. Similar controversy is evidently what Novig have gone for here.