Sydney Sweeney is facing backlash from athletes and sports fans after appearing in a commercial for a U.S. betting platform wearing minimal to no clothing. In it, she is seen posing with various sports equipment and sitting naked on top of a basketball hoop.
The advertisement for prediction market company Novig has been widely criticized for sexualizing women’s sports and trivializing the work female athletes put in to reach the pinnacle of their professions.
Australian swimmer and four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus, who announced her retirement last year, called the content out in an Instagram story, saying it was “a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft,” and to “every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is, teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence,” according to a BBC report.
U.S. gymnast and NCAA champion Gracie Kramer also responded to Sweeney’s advertisement by posting a reel on Instagram showing her training and competing with the caption “idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.”
“It really is that deep,” she added.
Kramer’s post sparked a trend among elite female athletes, many of whom used her format to showcase their training regimens and intense competition.
Australian Olympic swimmer Lani Pallister posted a video of her training in the pool and at the gym, showcasing several medals she has won across multiple distances.
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This summer, at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Pallister broke 14-time Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky’s 14-year record in the 800-metre freestyle with a time of 8 minutes, 6.10 seconds.
British sprinter and four-time European champion Amy Hunt addressed the Euphoria actress directly after competing at an athletics showcase on Sunday evening. “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” Hunt told BBC Sport.
“Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears,” she continued.
“When you’re a woman in sport, it’s not pretty. It’s not glamorous. It’s not sexy all the time,” Hunt concluded.
Olympic water polo silver medalist Tilly Kearns wrote in a social media post, “I absolutely fking hate Sydney Sweeney’s new sports ad,” with a reel of her training with the Australian Olympic team.
Sweeney has not responded directly to critics, but shortly after the advert was released, she shared several images of well-known male and female athletes who have posed naked on the cover of ESPN’s now-obsolete The Body Issue magazine including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Caroline Wozniacki, and the Philadelphia Eagles’ entire defensive line.
World Champion boxer Skye Nicolson said the backlash was a response to content that made a “mockery” of women in sport, rather than about their appearance, The Guardian reported.
“There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport compared to use sex to sell ‘sport’,” she wrote in an Instagram story, the British newspaper said.
“There is nothing wrong with looking good and doing sport and there’s nothing wrong with embracing your femininity while also being a badass athlete.”
Sweeny is not just the face of the controversial campaign, she is also a “strategic partner and equity holder” in Novig according to a company statement.
The 29-year-old actress was the subject of controversy last year when she fronted a campaign for American Eagle with the tag line “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
The commercial received widespread criticism for language that viewers likened to eugenics messaging after Sweeney said “genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters last year that he approved of the ad.
“Oh, she’s a registered Republican, oh, now I love her ad. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic,” he said.
Months after the commercial was scrubbed from the internet, Sweeney addressed critics in an interview for her GQ “Men of the Year” cover story, saying she “was honestly surprised by the reaction.”
“I’m against hate and divisiveness,” the actress said.
Anonymous the village idiot…the public dont care if your drawn to other nude men…but describing it, is too much….loser
Anonymous the villlage idiots speaks again!
ben and his lover are just mad because they want to see a set of hair balls swinging .we get it! we understand !!
You all need to lose the word we, when speaking on behalf of any minority group regardless of race, sex, gender, nationality, and disparate groups of whiners.
We are not you. You are not us.
Anonymous the village idiot speaks….please listen to me he sez…please….loser
Gee. Democrats coming up with hate for someone who doesn’t toe their political line. So rare
Only a po of like Ben and his husband care
Who cares. If these women took offence to her adds they should make their own. In which some have.
Sure thing Bentard liberal.
You are pissing in the wind.
“David Best
September 15, 2026 at 1:26 pm
Anonymous the village idiot has spoken….everyone listen….. sad.”
This is such a non-story. A woman can’t be both sexy AND athletic? That makes no sense, and it smacks of jealousy for those who whine about this stuff. What about the various female athletes who have posed for Playboy over the years? Are they less athletic because they want to show off their sensuality? So silly…
Obviously a slow news day!
David Best and ben. you to need to get a room and do what you think is right and BUMHOLE each other , you two are not normal. if you have to cover your eyes and go EWW to Sydney Sweeney there is something wrong
Anonymous the village idiot has spoken….everyone listen….. sad.
Ben
September 15, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Ben you literally sit on here all day commenting, if that’s not beta male status I don’t know what is.
OnlyCavemen you either are a fruitcake or a very ugly women .no need for us man to apologies to our mothers for appreciating a very pretty women’s body . as my self my mothers proud of her son born NORMAL AS A MAN
I plan to be a better father to my children, than some of the forever single men below who are making fun of women. Both my parents would have killed me if I talked the way some “men” here talk about women. Just disrespectful.
A beautiful WHITE woman is offensive?
FU haters.
Go Sydney! 👍
But when Serina Williams posed her nude body she was a trailblazer for women… Go figure. I know why. Cant have a sexy beautiful white woman. That’s sacrilegious !
So hypocritical I can’t believe it. What about men who are playing against women-so called trans?
Hahaha only liberal women are complaining about her. Shes a goddess to us normal men.
Shes a smoke show.
Cry more liberals
the fact the the last thing said in the story was that “this ad has missed the mark” is ridicules since everyone is talking about it.
Bend Over and Paul’s comments are spot on!
The ones protesting are the blue haired feminazis who made it their life’s purpose to bang on about anything that’s normal and natural.
It’s ok to have men in women’s and girls sports, changing rooms, bathrooms, etc. But a beautiful REAL woman’s body is all of a sudden offensive?!?
Despite your idiot beliefs, I am entitled to opinions on crimes and legal matters.
In Olympic women’s volleyball, they dont seem to wear much and show off. But thats ok. Right.
We’re proud of her here at Global News.
She is doing a great job!
All you little boys posting stupid comments here…go apologize to your mother for your bad behaviour. She raised you better than that.
Geeze you Canadians are a sensitive bunch of hosers aren’t ya? Lol
Geeze you Canadians are a soft bunch aren’t ya lol
She faces a backlash from female atheletes.
Because women hate each other as much as they hate themselves.
The usual group of blue haired complainers. Complaining gives them purpose in life otherwise their lives would be empty shells
I’m absolutely amazed that so many women athletes would be outraged about this harmless sports ad, but those same athletes never condoned men who are masquerading as women and cheating to win in women’s sports!!! Mind boggling.
Ben . If you where a,real man you would know its natural to be attracted to a pretty women .if your father never decided to bang your mother and giz in her you would not be here making a,comment .you need to grow up and be a,man
This ad is ridiculous
Go Syd! She keeps making leftists triggered. Nothing makes an ugly alphabet person or ugly straight woman mad like jealously.
Well well well, look who’s jealous!!
Lifes not fair, she’s way hotter than her critics. A bunch of camel faced hags are pissed
You guys making sexualized comments about women are all forever single and don’t have kids, especially a daughter.
Cons are kocksuckkers.
Love it, the women that are hating are the ones that can’t deal with her body
First tv add that i seen that gave me a bonner
I think its liberals that are disgusted with her add .because those guys love to see a set of hairy balls dangling .
I don’t care what she is selling or advertising. I just want to see that nice poop make she is showing on her add. They need to show this add
@Ed We can have that. It’s just rare because most of them are inbred trash. Sweeney does have nice melons though
The few women athletes against this are f *ucking dikes.
@Ben. Thanks for mansplaining how women feel, Benny. What happened to her body, her choice?
I don’t care what shes advertising i just want to see that great toilet seat all the guys are talking about
Some one is jello ! All because shes got a very nice bum .I big uproar from the fuglies. And some guys love to see hair ball sacks
Why is this news? Is there really anyone that’s truly offended by this? Or is it just a group mentality? She’s a paid actress not an athlete. Women’s sports has always and will always be sexualized because most female athletes are fit. If you don’t like it bake.
Ben women have agency. Sweeney, and many other women, choose to promote themselves in this way. And in many cases its women holding other women back.
The point I think people are making is that women are already objectified and sexualized and this perpetuates it. Not hard to understand.
I sure hope to see this on TV. Shes got a great azz
David Best the keyboard warrior calls out people in every article.
The Purple Hair Brigade object.
SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, ALWAYS FIDS SOMETHI G TO COMPLAIN ABOUT
Anonymous is a village idiot
Must be short of cash, to do something as tasteless as that.
If you’ve got it, flaunt it! Beauty doesn’t last for ever!
” a commercial for a U.S. betting platform” So what?
This is just another ‘tempest in a P-pot’.
Any real athlete should be laughing at these people who are suckered into online betting.
Her assets are appearing to be the only things she’s good for. No hidden acting talent with this one.
I can see it now. !0 years from now it will be ads with woman proudly showing off the size of their johnson.
So ,is the anger shown equal to the participation of transgenders in women sports? Or are they just upset about a beautiful woman choosing what she wishes to do with her own body?
Wow really? Athletes are all bent out of shape these days. So superior and holier than thou. Loosen up. Geeze. Its 2026, not 1910 for gods sake
Ugly women mad
But I bet if they had the same add with some large tragender think with its ball sack hanging out there would be no issue. A women’s body such as hers is a work of art and should ne appreciate
We should put some Belarusian women shot putters in the ads
I don’t see a problem. Shes got a nice bum
How stupid. What is ruining women’s sports are men who claim themselves women and then compete.
The fact that progressive women have decided that (for today anyway) they object to sexualizing sport is in direct conflict with the overwhelming evidence that on every other day they sexualize themselves in every single activity they take part in.
Exhibit A: women’s volleyball uniforms
ExhibitA (1): women’s beach volleyball uniforms
Exhibit B: women’s track and field uniforms
Exhibit C: women wearing cameltoe pants (yoga) to every public venue they go too
Women will never be happy, that’s the definition of a woman
I ignore betting site ads, maybe they should do the same.
People whining is not news
It’s clickbait from a lazy journalist
A white attractive woman
Can’t have that
Were is the outrage over women’s volleyball in the Olympics, they wear very little as well.
Sounds like jealousy to me
They are fine with women in sports that have a penis, but are offended by a naked woman.