Story summary
Sydney Sweeney, an American actress known for her roles in "Euphoria" and "The Housemaid," faced widespread criticism after a controversial sports gambling advertisement went viral on September 9th. The ad, promoting the company Novig, features Sweeney nude but partially covered by various pieces of sporting equipment, with captions like “Think you know sports? Prove it” and “You can trade on this.” This ad garnered nearly 39 million views within a few days.
Female athletes across different disciplines reacted strongly against the advertisement. British sprinter Amy Hunt, who won four European championships earlier in summer and finished fourth at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 200m final, told BBC Sport, "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like," referring to hard work and dedication rather than sexualized imagery. Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic medalist, called the ad “a kick in the face” on Instagram.
The ad sparked debates about how women in sports are portrayed and objectified, with athletes emphasizing their achievements over physical appearance. Kramer, an American gymnast who has faced similar issues, echoed Hunt's sentiments, aiming to uplift women in sports and remind them of their worth beyond objectification.
Written for “Sports Betting Ad Controversy” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Many customers will lose money, and the real product may just be the delightful dopamine hit that comes in that brief window between placing a bet and its outcome – which is statistically more likely to be a disappointment than a victory.
uncertain
which → lose → victory
So the bettor has to think they are buying more than their own fleecing.
asserted
they → have → fleecing
Enter Sydney Sweeney, the icily beautiful actor who stars in a sports prediction market company’s ad campaign wearing little more than a bat and balls.
asserted
who → enter → bat
She’s not a professional athlete, but she functions to remind us that plenty of people want us to believe the best woman in sports is the one who appeals to men.
asserted
who → ’ → men
It’s the same ethos that puts capturing the male gaze on a list of hiring criteria for TV sideline reporters, and made Olivia Dunne the richest athlete in college sports.
asserted
Dunne → ’ → sports
But of course Dunne put in years of training as an elite gymnast, and didn’t serve to make a mockery of women’s sports.
asserted
Dunne → put → sports
Does Sweeney?
asserted
Sweeney → do → ?
After her American Eagle campaign was criticized as eugenics-adjacent, she eventually issued vague comments about how, yawn, surprised she was at the outcry.
asserted
she → criticize → outcry
If she were actually bothered, she might check the optics of campaigns like the one causing so much outcry at the moment.
uncertain
she → bother → moment
Certainly once she saw how her blond, blue-eyed image was being utilized and perceived, she would be more discerning when sifting through the endorsement opportunities that came her way.
asserted
that → see → opportunities
Her lack of apparent concern must be as well-compensated as her one-note acting.
asserted
lack → compensate → acting
The prediction company she is promoting in this campaign lists her as a strategic partner and equity holder and, if the company can negotiate shifting legal terrain, that could make Sweeney orders of magnitude richer for absorbing the critique.
uncertain
Sweeney → promote → critique
Olympic swimmer and four-time gold medalist Ariarne Titmus is one of many professional athletes who have expressed disappointment and anger with the provocatively regressive campaign.
asserted
who → express → campaign
“How do we live in a world where monetising a women’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?” she wrote on Instagram.
asserted
she → live → Instagram
Women’s sports are being professionalized at a pace eclipsing anything we’ve previously seen.
asserted
we → professionalize → anything
Leagues are expanding, ratings and attendance are up, and some teams have been valued at more than $500m.
asserted
teams → expand → m.
Female athletes have real power – financially and with their social media platforms.
asserted
athletes → have → platforms
Any company looking to get into the space has a pick of champions who would communicate the company’s message.
asserted
who → look → message
But for all that progress, there are executives and fans who would prefer that sports looked how they did back when they were kids.
asserted
they → be → progress
Many of them are gatekeepers in traditional media, and many outlets still treat women’s sports less seriously than men’s.
asserted
outlets → treat → men
Purdue academic Cheryl Cooky’s new research details the trend in all its glory.
asserted
research → detail → glory
In an era in which stoking outrage can win elections and make you a wealthy sports bloviator, there are fewer actual consequences to stop a company from trying to offend potential consumers.
asserted
you → stoke → consumers
Of course, it is still possible to create a marketing campaign so disastrous it can severely damage a company.
asserted
it → create → company
Look no further than the golf content specialist Good Good, which recently ran and then retracted a commercial which appeared to make light of violence against women.
asserted
which → look → women
Good Good’s front office has been shaken up.
asserted
office → shake → ?
But the company lost a partnership with industry stalwart Callaway Golf, a reality show it launched was cancelled, stores pulled merchandise off the shelves, and its name was pulled off a PGA Tour tournament
asserted
name → lose → tournament
Co-founder Garrett Clark eventually posted an eight-minute apology video, but whenever you have to announce that you don’t condone domestic violence, you’ve lost control of the narrative.
asserted
you → post → narrative
Maybe golf isn’t the best place to go for edgy.
asserted
golf → go → ?
As was the case with cigarette companies before them, few people believe the product is actually good for anyone.
asserted
product → believe → anyone
There are allegations that people with inside information on war and troop movements are placing bets in the liminal space between planning and action.
asserted
people → be → planning
So what is there for a prediction market to lose by stoking outrage with a proven outrage-stoker like Sweeney?
asserted
market → lose → Sweeney
The sports prediction consumers that the maker of the Sweeney ad is likely courting are the same young men who will be titillated by the actor and delighted by the subversive naughtiness of all the froth.
asserted
who → court → froth
The message cynically fits the audience.
asserted
message → fit → audience
Sports consumers can’t escape the ads, the conversations, the sponsorships when watching a game.
asserted
consumers → escape → game
It seems everyone wants a piece of the action.
asserted
everyone → seem → action
What those behind the Sweeney ad are actually predicting is a column like this, and the outrage of athletes who are trying to push back the regressive tide.
asserted
who → predict → tide
I’d wager they hope to use it to attract more young men to open accounts.
asserted
men → wager → accounts
