‘Is this sport?’: Sydney Sweeney faces backlash from female athletes over nude advert
“Is this sport?” Athletes criticise Sydney Sweeney’s Novig advert
Poinews.com – “Is this sport?” That was the question raised by female athletes after Sydney Sweeney appeared in a sexually suggestive advert for Novig, a US sports trading app. Critics said the campaign shifts attention away from women’s athletic ability and towards the sexualisation of their bodies.
Sweeney, who is a strategic partner and equity holder in Novig, appears with little clothing in the NSFW-style commercial. Footballs, a baseball bat, a hockey stick and a tennis racket are used to cover her body as she promotes the platform.
In the advert, Sweeney says Novig is “just sports,” stressing that the service does not offer markets on wars, deaths or politics. She said the campaign was designed as a playful way to put sport back at the centre of the conversation.
“The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports,” Sweeney said, describing the advert as confident, humorous and playful.
Olympians say the campaign misses the point
For Ariarne Titmus, the Australian swimmer and four-time Olympic gold medallist, the message did not land that way. She said the advert was upsetting for women who have devoted years to their sporting careers and for fans who value sport for its teamwork, friendship, commitment and excellence.
“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.”
Titmus also challenged the continued use of women’s bodies as a commercial tool, asking why sexualisation remains part of sports marketing. Her reaction became one of the most prominent responses to the “Is this sport?” debate online.
Australian world champion boxer Skye Nicolson made a distinction between athletes feeling confident in their appearance and advertisers using sexuality as the main method of selling a sports product.
“There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport compared to using sex to sell ‘sport’,” Nicolson wrote.
Criticism spreads across women’s sport
Canadian skier Cassidy Gray, who competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics, discussed the advert in a TikTok video that circulated widely. She linked it to broader pressures experienced by women athletes, including being sexualised, underestimated and given fewer opportunities than male competitors.
British athlete Lucy Davis also criticised Sweeney’s participation, with her post receiving support from public figures including actor Florence Pugh. British sprinter Amy Hunt later offered her own response after competing at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, highlighting the physical work behind elite performance.
“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” Hunt said. “Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears.”
The Female Athlete Project argued that the commercial reflects a longstanding problem: women’s bodies are often treated as commodities while the achievements of real competitors receive less attention. For its critics, the question “Is this sport?” is not simply about one advert, but about whose version of sport gets promoted.
Why the advert has prompted such a strong reaction
Women in sport are often expected to succeed as athletes while also meeting commercial expectations about appearance and femininity. That tension helps explain why critics viewed the Novig campaign as more than a light-hearted publicity stunt. They argued that sporting equipment was used as a prop rather than a symbol of training, competition and skill.
The controversy does not suggest that women athletes cannot embrace femininity or present themselves as they choose. Instead, the criticism focuses on who controls the image, what is being sold and whether women’s sporting accomplishments are being treated as secondary to their appearance.
FAQ
What is Novig? Novig is a US sports trading app. Sydney Sweeney is a strategic partner and equity holder in the company.
Why did athletes object to the campaign? Several athletes said the advert sexualised women in a sporting context and undermined the work, strength and achievement associated with women’s athletics.
Did Sydney Sweeney explain the advert? Yes. Sweeney said the concept was intended to be fun, humorous and focused on sport.
What does “Is this sport?” mean in this debate? The phrase captures critics’ concern that the advert used the imagery of sport without representing the dedication and competitive reality of women athletes.