Sydney Sweeney is putting her focus on “Just Sports” in her latest ad campaign, but female athletes are less than impressed.
The actress stars in Novig’s new national campaign promoting the sports trading platform ahead of football season. The campaign features Sweeney in a series of provocative shots with sports balls and pieces of athletic gear strategically covering her body.
While Novig says the campaign is meant to highlight its singular focus on sports, some female athletes are calling attention to what they say is a different issue: how women are represented in the sports world.
Gymnast Gracie Kramer shared videos of herself competing alongside a message directed at the campaign.
“Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing but this is what a woman in sports looks like,” Kramer wrote.
Olympic 100-meter semifinalist Bree Masters also responded, sharing images of herself as an athlete and writing, “Respectfully Sydney Sweeney… This is what women in sports really look like.”
The reactions come as Sweeney’s ad sparks conversation online over the decision to use the actress’ appearance and sexuality as part of a campaign for a sports-focused platform.
Novig says the provocative campaign was intentional.
In a press release announcing the campaign, the company described it as a way to bring its “Just Sports” message to life with “confidence, humor and a playful edge.”
“The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports,” Sweeney said in the release. She also joins Novig as a strategic partner and equity holder.
Novig launched nationwide last month and describes itself as a sports-focused prediction market. The company says its platform combines the mechanics of modern financial exchanges with a sports-first experience designed specifically for sports fans.
Novig also highlights its 21-and-over age requirement, calling itself the only prediction market to maintain that restriction.
“Sports fans deserve a prediction market built specifically for them,” Novig co-founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky said in the release.
The campaign will run nationally across digital, social, online video and out-of-home placements throughout football season, with additional creative and activations planned for the fall.
The ad is not Sweeney’s first time finding herself at the center of a debate over an advertising campaign. Her 2025 American Eagle campaign, which played on the words “jeans” and “genes,” sparked widespread online discussion and criticism.
Now, Sweeney is back in another attention-grabbing campaign, this time with a sports prediction market company, and female athletes are making their own message clear.
