Sydney Sweeney’s Novig ‘Just Sports’ Ad Faces Backlash From Athletes

Sydney Sweeney has once again found herself at the centre of controversy over an ad campaign.

This time around, the backlash relates to her new advert for the sports betting app Novig, in which she appears in different scenes completely nude, save for various items like American footballs, basketballs and protective equipment.

“Novig is just sports,” she explained. “So, they wanted to show… just sports.”

Following its debut last week, Sydney’s latest video has sparked criticism from many women in the sports world, including some Olympians, who accused the Euphoria star of “sexualising” women’s sports.

Swimmer and gold medallist Ariarne Titmus wrote on Instagram: “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.

“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 – teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity … the list goes on.

“How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”

“To take the mickey like this. I thought we were genuinely moving past this bullshit,” she wrote, per Australia’s News.

Diver Kassidy Cook also showed her support for Ariarne’s comments on Instagram, while fellow silver medallist Tilly Kearns, an Australian Olympic water polo player, agreed that she “absolutely fucking hates” the ad.

World champion boxer Skye Nicolson also had her say, stating that “these companies need to do better” and “stop sexualising women in sport”.

Per The Guardian, she told her Instagram followers that the advert served as a “mockery” of women in sports, claiming: “There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport compared to [using] sex to sell ‘sport’. There is nothing wrong with looking good and doing sport and there’s nothing wrong with embracing your femininity while also being a badass athlete.”

HuffPost UK has contacted reps for Novig and Sydney Sweeney for comment.

While Sydney has not addressed the backlash directly, she did appear to allude to it on Sunday evening, when she posted a string of nude photo-shoots which leading sports figures had taken part in, including Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Megan Rapinoe, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jason Kelce, to her Instagram story.

Last year, Sydney landed in hot water over a very different ad campaign, when it was suggested her promo video for American Eagle had mirrored the language of white supremacists and eugenicists.

The Emmy nominee later said she had been left “surprised by the reaction” to the advert, after spending months mostly swerving questions about the media storm.

American Eagle, meanwhile, said their ad “is and always was about the jeans”.

“Her jeans. Her story,” a spokesperson said. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their American Eagle jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”