Sydney Sweeney Nude Sports Ad Outrage Exposes Critical Flaw in Her ESPN Body Issue Defence

Sydney Sweeney's nearly nude advert for sports prediction market Novig has enraged Olympic athletes who accuse it of sexualising women's sport. Her ESPN Body Issue rebuttal skips a crucial fact: she holds equity in the company.

'Just Sports', or Selling Gambling

Novig released its first national campaign on 9 September, showing Sweeney covering herself with American footballs, basketballs and hockey gear while pitching the platform as 'just sports'. 'No betting on wars, or deaths and no politics,' she says in the roughly one-minute spot, a jab at rivals that let users trade contracts on elections and tragedies.

The framing matters. Novig is a federally regulated sports prediction market, not a film or a magazine. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission granted it designated contract market status on 16 June, and the app is restricted to users aged 21 and over. Critics say the advert still uses a woman's body to sell wagering.

Olympic Athletes Hit Back

Four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus was among the fiercest voices. 'I can't describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,' she wrote on Instagram, calling it 'a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft'. Australian world champion boxer Skye Nicolson drew a sharper line, arguing there is a difference between looking sexy because you play sport and using sex to sell it.

Former college gymnast Gracie Kramer posted her own highlight reel with the caption, 'Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like'.

The Flaw in Sweeney's Body Issue Defence

Sweeney has stood by the shoot. 'The campaign was about embracing a fun idea,' she said, describing it as playful and centred on sport.

Rather than address the row directly, on 13 September she shared images from ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, which ran from 2009 to 2019 and photographed athletes nude to celebrate their physiques. Her selections included Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Megan Rapinoe and male stars such as Rob Gronkowski, Myles Garrett and Jason Kelce.

That comparison has a hole. The Body Issue featured athletes in a sports magazine. Sweeney is an actress fronting a betting product, and as an equity partner she stands to gain if the campaign works. The Wall Street Journal reported that her representatives approached Novig about investing, and the firm gave her an undisclosed equity stake.

A Prediction Market Land Grab

The row lands during an advertising surge. A day before Sweeney's spot, Polymarket enlisted LeBron James, Eli Manning and Derek Jeter. The American Gaming Association estimates Americans will wager $29.5 billion (£22 billion) on NFL games through licensed sportsbooks this season and says prediction markets have stalled that growth.

The legal ground is shifting. In August, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Nevada could enforce its gambling laws against Kalshi's sports contracts. Whether these products are financial instruments or gambling could reach the Supreme Court as early as next year. For now, Sweeney's advert has done its job. Novig's Instagram reel had drawn tens of millions of views within days.