Sydney Sweeney faced significant backlash from female athletes and media members following the release of her promotional campaign for the sports prediction market app Novig, according to reports by The Hollywood Reporter and NBC News. The controversy centers on a commercial where the 29-year-old actress appears completely naked while balancing sports equipment on her body to promote the sports-only platform.
Backlash From Female Athletes and Media
The campaign drew sharp criticism from women in sports who argued that the sexualized imagery undermines decades of work for athletic respect. According to The Hollywood Reporter, critics expressed frustration that a prominent marketing campaign in the sports sector relied on nudity rather than athletic achievement. Social media users and sports commentators echoed these sentiments, pointing out the contrast between fighting for professional validation and reducing female figures to physical assets in sports advertising, as reported by NBC News and Yahoo Sports.
One Instagram user commented on the original campaign post, stating that as a former athlete who has experienced sexualized commentary, the campaign felt disappointing and reduced women to their bodies rather than their talent and strength.
Novig Founder Explains the Campaign Rationale
Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky defended the marketing choice, revealing in an interview with Front Office Sports that Sweeney herself made the creative decision to appear nude for the platform. According to Fortinsky, Sweeney was drawn to Novig because it focuses exclusively on sports predictions rather than non-sporting events.
Fortinsky recalled Sweeney explaining her discomfort with other prediction platforms that host markets on personal and trivial matters, telling the company executive, according to Front Office Sports, “I’m uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what color underwear I’m going to wear,” adding that “there’s something clean about sports.” Sweeney also holds an equity stake in Novig.
Social Media Response and Precedent Comparison
Following the public criticism, Sweeney responded via her Instagram Stories by sharing a series of promotional photographs and magazine covers featuring high-profile athletes who have previously posed nude. Her curated examples included female sports icons such as Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, and Caroline Wozniacki, alongside prominent male athletes including Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jason Kelce.
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