By Penelope Nunes
On September 9th, 2026, global actress Sydney Sweeney starred in a Novig ad promotion. Novig is a federally regulated sports prediction market, allowing peers to trade ideas on different sports game outcomes without charging a built-in commission. The released ad includes clips of Sydney wearing explicit outfits—if they’re even considered outfits—only covering her genitals by different sports equipment such as footballs, hockey gear, and basketballs. The ad repeatedly quoted the phrase, “Just sports,” as Sweeney was montaged in the inappropriate attire. The use of the saying was intended to show that Novig specializes exclusively in sports, instead of political or entertainment aspects that other platforms may endorse. However, despite what their intentions might’ve been, Novig blatantly disrespected countless female athletes across the world.
This “funny” and “harmless” advertisement is not funny or harmless at all. As a matter of fact, it is harmful to women everywhere. Despite scattered supporters on social media describing the video as “not that deep,” I, amongst many other critics, believe it truly is that deep. Currently, around the world, women are fighting everyday to be seen as equal to the achievements of their male counterparts. Working diligently, just to be classified as good “for a girl.” Although Novig’s plan was likely to garner the public’s attention, it most definitely gained the wrong kind of attention—and rightfully so. The ad clearly targets women in sports, yet only highlights a sexualized side of it that the internet has created. What about all of the incredible accomplishments by women? What about Babe Didrikson Zaharias competing in PGA events and ultimately winning best female athlete. She declared that she wanted to compete in the Olympics for track and field and trained daily to prepare for qualifiers. At qualifiers, she became eligible for the Olympics in five different events, yet had to select three because women were not allowed to compete in more than that. She broke numerous records, including her own, and also became known for her excellence in golf. Additionally, Toni Stone, who was the first woman to play in a professional baseball league, started her career in softball, and transitioned to baseball, becoming a successful second baseman. Billie Jean King, who played tennis against a man and battled to the end. She competed in the “Battle of the Sexes” match and changed the way young girls view themselves, encouraging them to fight as fiercely as a man in the eyes of others. It is likely that people can’t even name these accomplished athletes, which, in some cases, is understandable. However, it does not sit right with me that these hardworking, dedicated athletes are receiving less praise and recognition than the actress who sat “looking pretty” for 58 seconds while a camera panned around her virtually naked body.
It is not the fact that Sydney reveals herself in such ways—she is a 29 year old woman who has every right to do that if she would like. It is the manner in which she chose to do so and the circumstances surrounding it. Women in sports are already looked down upon and seen as weaker than men. Unarguably, women have to work twice as hard to get any kind of media coverage. If you asked a random person on the street to name three male soccer players, I’m sure they could. Then if you ask the same person to name three female soccer players, the response takes longer to find—if they know three at all. I myself fall victim to being uninformed about women in sports, as all the media provides is data on men’s sports. This needs to be changed and needs to be brought to attention. Sweeney’s collaboration and advertisement makes it more difficult for women to be taken seriously in the athletic world. It encourages the sexualization of women in sports and almost acts as an invitation to do so. On social media, beach volleyball players constantly receive comments about their attire—it is “too revealing,” very “scandalous,” and other adjectives describing everything but their playing abilities. Yet, a video with a lady’s bare body is perfectly fine to be aired on streaming networks that children have access to. Young girls are already being fed this inhibiting content, providing them with early ideas about what a girl should be according to societal stereotypes. As a community, we should be protecting children’s mental health and give them a positive perspective on the activities they might be intrigued by, such as joining a sport.
You may read this article, watch this ad, or listen to critics and truly think that it isn’t that deep—but it is. Women deserve recognition in the things they care about. We aren’t asking to be acknowledged more than men, only to be acknowledged at the same level and for the right reasons. This campaign influences people in the opposite direction, making them feel as if women’s sports is a joke or less important than male sports. I don’t believe Sydney is a bad person for this ad, but I hope that the backlash on it can help her look at it from a different perspective and see how damaging it has been for the hardworking women out there who just want to be seen and valued for their efforts and dedication in something they are passionate about. So yes, it really is that deep.