Professional female athletes worldwide are expressing displeasure over a recent advertisement for Novig, a sports-only prediction market. The ad features actress Sydney Sweeney in a hypersexualized portrayal that athletes contend undermines women's relationship to sports.
Novig launched the one-minute spot last Wednesday. Sweeney appears nude, with strategically placed sports equipment covering her. Throughout the advertisement, Sweeney repeats the word "sports" to highlight Novig's focus on sports-only predictions, differentiating it from platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket.
Ariarne Titmus, an Australian swimmer and eight-time Olympic medalist, condemned the ad on social media. "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," Titmus wrote. "How do we live in a world where monetising a woman's body and sexualising women's sport is still a thing?"
Other professional athletes echoed these sentiments across social media. American rhythmic gymnast Gracie Kramer, Australian runner Bree Rizzo and Australian swimmer Brianna Throssell all posted similar messages, often accompanied by images or videos of themselves competing.
British sprinter Amy Hunt addressed the controversy in a post-race interview on Sunday, following her fourth-place finish in the 200m final at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest. "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like," Hunt told BBC Sport.
The criticism extended beyond individual athletes. Female sports-media professionals and the Australian Institute for Sport also spoke out. The Australian Institute for Sport posted a compilation of women's sports clips to its Instagram account on Sunday, captioned, "THIS is sports."
Sweeney appeared to respond to the controversy indirectly over the weekend by posting a series of old covers from ESPN's The Body Issue to her Instagram story. The Body Issue, an annual special edition of ESPN The Magazine featuring athletes in nude or semi-nude photos, ceased publication in 2019.
Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky told Front Office Sports last week that Sweeney holds an equity stake in the company and helped develop the company's sports-only messaging. He said her endorsement "forces Novig into the national discourse" and indicated that more Sweeney spots are planned, including one focused on responsible trading.
Novig has not responded to requests for comment regarding the female athletes' reactions to the advertisement.
