Maybe you’ve heard (or more likely seen) actor Sydney Sweeney featured in a new one-minute ad for Novig, a sports betting app. She’s not wearing jeans this time (read here for a peek at the 2025 American Eagle ad and the controversy surrounding it), but appears (in the company of sports equipment) in her birthday suit. That is, butt naked.
Let me state for the record that we here at Fit is a Feminist Issue are nothing if not body positive. We’ve written about boudoir photography, being naked in locker rooms and other fitness spaces, the experience of women with larger bodies wearing tiny bathing suits (TLDR: it can be freeing and fun), to name a few.
What makes me grit my teeth about this ad (I’m not linking to it, but you will not be able to enter the Internet without tripping over a story about it) is three things:
Thing one: It’s using sex to sell, or rather a particularly narrow notion of sexiness in women to gin up business for a sports betting app.
Yes, sex has been selling all kinds of things effectively since time immemorial. And sexy images are fun, sometimes provocative, and yes, actually sexy. Also, sexy images get used to sell many decidedly non-sexy things. This 1929 ad was considered sexually provocative, using a woman to sell shampoo:
Of course, the ad folks have come a long way, baby, since then, using very particular images that promote particular body types, exploiting racialized notions of beauty or sexiness for the purpose of commerce. Doing so sends all sorts of negative messaging about who is sexy or attractive and why. Honestly, it’s unimaginative and kind of mean, and ultimately not very interesting or creative.
Thing two: this ridiculous ad is selling out women in sports by presenting a set of caricatured images (of Sweeney e.g. posing naked with footballs against her breast, or perching atop a basketball goal), ignoring the rich, beautiful and magnificent array of women who actually participate in sports at all levels. And the women athletes are responding in force. Here’s Gracie Kramer, a former gymnast, from this New York Times article:
On Friday, Gracie Kramer, a former gymnast, posted a video montage on social media with the caption: “idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.” It inspired waves of others in a range of sports to do the same.
“I’ve been over-sexualized my whole career, I’ve dealt with men only focusing on how I look and not what I’m capable of,” Kramer, the former gymnast, said in an interview, referring to comments some had made about the size of her legs or arms. “Women put in hours and years to build something that they’re proud of, and when you’re reduced to the way that you look, it’s dehumanizing.”
Her response video, which was viewed millions of times, became a kind of rallying cry for other female athletes to post videos of themselves too, skiing, running, playing basketball, water polo and more. On Monday, the British sprinter Amy Hunt, after finishing a 200-meter final, addressed Sweeney on the BBC, adding that “this is what women in sport look like.”
Yes, companies get to decide how to design ads for their products, and they make choices within legal boundaries. And in a society where there are outlets for voices to be heard, women in sports are raising those voices, expressing their displeasure and offering good reasons why they’re so displeased.
Thing three: let’s take a moment to turn to what the Sweeney ad is selling: sports betting using a phone app. I’m not going to mince words here: sports betting apps promote gambling addiction and result in disastrous economic effects for lots of people. Here’s an article from Johns Hopkins school of public health about the public health risks posed by sports betting apps.
“We’re referring to it as the largest and fastest explosion of gambling the country has ever seen,” says Cait Huble, MA, MBA, director of public affairs for the National Council on Problem Gambling
. “We’re a decade behind other addictions in terms of public understanding, which is going to lead to a lot of real-world harm.”
I’m going to say it: shame on you, Sydney Sweeney, for associating yourself with a sports betting app. I think you should explore nicer options for your career. Shame on you, Novig (sports betting app company), for creating this publicity-grabbing ad to raise your market share at the expense of vulnerable consumers. Shame on you, Novig, for existing at all– in my view, your founders ought to rethink their business plan and maybe sell shoes instead of facilitating widespread addiction. And thank you, women athletes and sports writers and commentators, for staying out there, doing your work and play, and reminding us that sports are fun and open to all of us.
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