Sydney Sweeney's Nude Novig Ad Draws Backlash From Female Athletes Over Sexualization

Sports prediction market Novig launched a national ad campaign on September 9 starring actress Sydney Sweeney, timed to coincide with the start of the 2026 NFL season. In the minute-long spot, Sweeney appears nude, covering herself with footballs, a basketball hoop and tennis gear while saying the platform is "just sports." Sweeney is an equity partner and creative director at Novig, and CEO Jacob Fortinsky has said she was "driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging" behind the campaign. The ad has drawn more than 42 million views on Instagram.

The campaign sparked immediate backlash from professional female athletes. University of Miami diver Mia Vallee, international rugby player Sofie Fella and gymnast Gracie Kramer all posted videos of themselves competing, arguing the ad reduces women in sports to their bodies rather than their performances. Fella specifically questioned why ad dollars were spent on a shock-value campaign instead of investment in the women's sports economy. Northeastern marketing professor Rachel Rodgers called the ad's overt sexuality "dated."

The controversy is Sweeney's second major ad backlash in roughly a year, following last year's American Eagle "great jeans" campaign. In response to the Novig criticism, Sweeney posted an Instagram story comparing the ad to ESPN's long-running "Body Issue," which has featured nude athletes including Serena Williams and Rob Gronkowski.

The case for:

  • Athletes like Sofie Fella argue that money spent on a shock-value celebrity campaign would do more for women's sports if it were invested directly in athletes and leagues rather than a nude ad.

  • Critics including Professor Rachel Rodgers say the ad's overt sexuality undercuts a broader push to represent women in sports for their skill rather than their bodies, at a moment when women's sports viewership and investment are both rising.

The case against:

  • Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky says Sweeney herself helped shape the campaign's creative direction and frames the partnership as boosting visibility for a female-founded equity stake in a growing platform, not exploiting her image.

  • Sweeney has pointed to ESPN's decades-long "Body Issue" tradition of photographing nude athletes as evidence the format itself isn't inherently degrading, and Novig notes the campaign achieved its brand-awareness goal against larger rivals like Polymarket and Kalshi.

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Sources:

#SydneySweeney #Novig #AdvertisingControversy #WomenInSports #MarketingDebate

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