Sydney Sweeney’s Novig Ad Sparks Backlash From Female Athletes, Including Ariarne Titmus

Sydney Sweeney’s sports betting advertisement for Novig has drawn backlash from female athletes after the ad showed Sweeney in “little to no clothing” while she “plays mock tennis, golf, baseball and ice hockey” and says “just sports.”

““idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sport looks like.””

ABC

ABC News & Headlines reports that swimming great Ariarne Titmus was among the athletes who called out the ad and the actress for setting back women in sport, while the BBC said the advert went viral online and features Sweeney “naked but covering parts of her body with various pieces of sporting equipment.”

ABC

The BBC also quoted British sprinter Amy Hunt, who referenced the advert after running a season’s best 22.10 seconds to finish fourth in the 200m final at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest, telling the BBC: “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like.”

ABC News & Headlines said the ad has been widely criticised for setting back women in sport, and it quoted Gracie Kramer’s Instagram reel caption: “idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sport looks like.”

Ariarne Titmus condemned the campaign in direct terms, with ABC News & Headlines quoting her Instagram comment that it was “an absolute joke” and saying, “I can't describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.”

The Guardian likewise reported Titmus’s view that this type of marketing was “bullshit,” quoting her: “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” and it also quoted her question about “monetising a women’s body and sexualising women’s sport.”

ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In the same wave of responses, the BBC reported that Hunt, after finishing fourth in the 200m final, said “21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears. This is a beautiful evening.”

The Guardian added that the response from athletes included using the controversy to highlight women’s sport, citing water polo silver medallist Tilly Kearns writing, “I absolutely fking hate Sydney Sweeney’s new sports ad,” while Skye Nicolson said the backlash was about making a “mockery” of women in sport rather than judging how women look.

Sweeney pushed back on the criticism by arguing that the issue was being singled out, with the OSEN-translated report saying she countered: “Many male and female sports stars have appeared in advertisements with their bodies exposed. It is unfair to single out my advertisement as a special issue.”

““Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.””

The Guardian

The Guardian also described how the campaign was tied to Novig, noting that Sweeney and Novig were beneficiaries of the attention and that Sweeney joined as “strategic partner and equity holder,” according to a Novig statement.

In the broader context of her past advertising controversy, the Guardian said the attention resembled the outrage caused by American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” campaign in 2025, which was criticised for appearing to use the language of eugenics and included Sweeney saying: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

The Guardian reported that Sweeney later acknowledged her silence on the earlier controversy had “widened the divide,” quoting her: “I was honestly surprised by the reaction,” and it added that she said, “I’m against hate and divisiveness.”