"An Insult to All Women": Female Athletes Outraged Over Ad with 37 Million Views in Four Days

Sweeney's Nude Sports Ad Sparks Controversy
"Olympic Athletes Criticize Sexualization"
Wave of Female Athletes Posting Their Own Competition Footage Grows

American actress Sydney Sweeney's revealing commercial has sparked backlash from female athletes, who claim that it has "sexualized women's sports."

American actress Sydney Sweeney's appearance in a commercial for the sports prediction platform 'Novig' has sparked controversy. Instagram

On September 14 (local time), according to the BBC and The Guardian, controversy is growing in the sports world regarding a new advertising campaign by the sports prediction platform 'Novig' featuring Sweeney. In the commercial, Sweeney appears covering her nude body with a football, tennis racket, and baseball bat. The advertisement, which Novig posted on Instagram Reels, surpassed 37 million views in just four days after its release.

"An Insult to All Women Who Enjoy Sports," Say Athletes

Female athletes have responded harshly. Ariarne Titmus, an Australian Olympic gold-medalist swimmer, wrote on social media that "I cannot even put into words how angry I feel every time I see this scene," and called it "an insult to every woman who has dedicated her life to mastering her craft, and to all women who enjoy the essence of sports—teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, and unity." She added, "We live in a world where monetizing women's bodies and sexualizing women's sports is still normalized."

American actress Sydney Sweeney's appearance in a commercial for the sports prediction platform 'Novig' has sparked controversy. Instagram

British sprinter Amy Hunt, after finishing the Ultimate Championships women's 200m final in Budapest, Hungary, said, "Sydney Sweeney, this is what it looks like for women in sports." Referring to the record set by gold medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, she added, "Muscles, effort, blood, sweat, and tears—when women play sports, it's not always pretty, glamorous, or sexy."

Australian Olympic silver medalist water polo player Tilly Kearns also posted on social media, writing, "I really hate Sydney Sweeney's new sports commercial." Australian surfer Felicity Palmateer said in an interview with CNN, "I just can't believe that a single 42-second ad can set women's sports back this far," adding, "We want to be evaluated by what we can do, not by how we look."

Sweeney: "A Campaign Embracing a Fun Idea"

A post by American gymnast Gracey Kramer reading, "I don't know what Sydney Sweeney did, but this is what it looks like for women in sports." Instagram

The backlash has spread as athletes post videos of their own performances. Australian swimmer Lani Pallister uploaded a video of her training, competitions, and medal-winning moments to social media, while sprinter Bree Lizzo shared highlights from the track. A post by American gymnast Gracey Kramer, sharing her highlights and writing, "I don't know what Sydney Sweeney did, but this is what it looks like for women in sports," has surpassed 1 million likes.

Australian boxing world champion Skye Nicolson wrote, "There's a big difference between looking sexy because you're an athlete and using sex to sell sports," emphasizing, "There's nothing wrong with looking good while playing sports, or embracing femininity while being a strong athlete."

Sweeney explained, "The campaign was about embracing a fun idea," and said that she intended to express "a simple concept of stripping away the noise and focusing solely on sports, realized with confidence, humor, and a sense of playfulness."

Sweeney previously caused controversy last year with an advertisement for American clothing company American Eagle's jeans. The phrase "Sydney Sweeney has good jeans" was interpreted as "good genes," sparking criticism that it glorified white physical features.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.