Is this sport? Sydney Sweeney faces backlash from female athletes over nude advert
Actress Sydney Sweeney's nude promotional campaign for sports prediction platform Novig has sparked backlash from elite female athletes who argue it undermines women's sports.
- Core Development: Actress Sydney Sweeney's nude promotional campaign for sports prediction platform Novig has sparked backlash from elite female athletes who argue it undermines women's sports.
- Beat Context: Categorized under Sport with independent corroboration.
- Reporting Depth: 3 minute analytical read synthesized from verified newsroom sources.
A promotional campaign pairing American actress Sydney Sweeney with sports trading application Novig has ignited an international debate over the sexualisation of athletics, drawing fierce condemnation from elite female competitors across multiple disciplines.
The commercial features Sweeney appearing with little to no clothing while holding or covering her body with athletic gear, including footballs, a baseball bat, a hockey stick, and a tennis racket. As she poses, the Euphoria star repeats the word sports and explains that the prediction market app focuses exclusively on athletic wagering rather than politics, wars, or deaths. According to reporting by Euronews, the campaign quickly divided public opinion upon its release.
Media additions
The backlash from the athletic community was immediate. Writing on Instagram, Australian swimming champion Ariarne Titmus stated,
Other prominent sportswomen echoed these concerns, arguing that relying on nudity and the male gaze undermines decades of progress toward earning serious respect for women's athletic achievements."Not only is this 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 … the list goes on."
Ariarne Titmus, Olympic swimmer, via Instagram
| Athlete / Figure | Sport / Role | Platform / Outlet | Stance on Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariarne Titmus | Swimming (Olympics) | Condemned the ad as a kick in the face to women | |
| Amy Hunt | Track and Field (Sprint) | BBC Sport / ITV | Argued it sets a barrier for young girls and reduces women to appearance |
| Skye Nicolson | Boxing | Stated it makes a mockery of women in sport | |
| Jacob Fortinsky | Novig CEO / Co-founder | Front Office Sports | Defended the partnership as a way to enter national discourse |
British sprinter Amy Hunt expanded on the criticism during a post-race interview with BBC Sport following the Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday, 13 September 2026. Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. Muscles. Hard work. Sweat, blood, tears,
Hunt declared. Later appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Hunt warned that objectifying imagery creates unnecessary hurdles for participation, pointing to statistics indicating that a significant proportion of young girls drop out of exercise and sport before reaching the age of sixteen.
The online discourse also spilled over into direct confrontations between social media users and athletes who spoke out. Australian triathlon champion Monique Muskens reported being inundated with hostile messages from male users after she criticized the campaign on her account, noting that the vast majority of negative comments originated from men who did not follow her Instagram profile.
Defending the marketing strategy, Novig co-founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky acknowledged that the actress approached the company to establish an equity partnership and take an active role in creative discussions. Fortinsky told Front Office Sports that the provocative concept successfully drove national attention to the newly launched platform. In a press release issued alongside the launch, Sweeney described the project as a playful attempt to cut through industry noise and center attention on sports.
As public debate intensified, Sweeney appeared to address the controversy on Sunday, 13 September 2026, by publishing a series of Instagram Stories featuring historical images from ESPN Magazine's Body Issue, which historically showcased nude and semi-nude elite athletes such as Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, and Megan Rapinoe. Despite the social media pushback—which included thousands of followers unfollowing her accounts—the viral nature of the campaign has sharply increased visibility for the sports prediction startup.
Observers note that the episode mirrors previous public controversies surrounding Sweeney's commercial partnerships, notably her 2025 campaign for American Eagle. As Novig continues its rollout ahead of the football season, the company and its equity partner show no indication of withdrawing the advertisements, leaving athletes and industry analysts to debate the long-term cultural fallout of leveraging physical objectification to market sports platforms.
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Key questions answered in this reportWhat is the key development in: Is this sport? Sydney Sweeney faces backlash from female athletes over nude advert?
Actress Sydney Sweeney's nude promotional campaign for sports prediction platform Novig has sparked backlash from elite female athletes who argue it undermines women's sports.
Why is this Sport development significant for the UK?
This report covers critical events in our Sport beat. Independent reporting monitors related UK statements, regulatory shifts, and public responses as further verified details emerge.
How was this reporting corroborated and verified?
Newsarchy UK compiles and cross-references reporting from primary reporting from euronews.com and cross-checked wire reports. All coverage adheres to published editorial standards.
When was this report published?
This briefing was published on September 16, 2026 and is permanently cataloged in the Newsarchy UK Sport archives.
