You probably seen the new ad with Sydney Sweeney

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Novig

Experience Novig, America’s #1 Sports Prediction Market, and make picks against real people, not the house. Trade on NFL, NBA, MLB, UFC, WNBA, PGA, ATP and more with player props, straights, parlays, and the best live odds for a chance to win real cash prizes. Available in over 35 US states, including California, Texas, and Florida.

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Why it worked

The video leverages a current celebrity controversy and taps into a broader societal discussion about the sexualization of women in sports, making it highly relatable and shareable.

Summary

This video discusses the controversy surrounding a new ad featuring Sydney Sweeney for the sports prediction platform Novig. Several female athletes have criticized the ad for sexualizing women in sports and setting them back. The video also highlights other instances of backlash Sydney Sweeney has faced for her advertising choices and touches on studies about women's self-consciousness in sports.

Structure

1Introduction of Sydney Sweeney's controversial ad for Novig
2Criticism from female athletes and comparison to past ads
3

Original caption

Sydney Sweeney is starring in a new ad that is sparking controversy — this one by sports prediction platform Novig. The ad features a nude Sweeney, with sports equipment, like footballs, used as censors. Several female athletes have spoken out about the ad online, with many saying it sets female athletes back. “Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like,” wrote gymnast Gracie Kramer, who inspired other women to share similar posts. CBS News has reached out to Novig, of which Sweeney is a shareholder, and has not received a response. #sydneysweeney #sports #womeninsports #femaleathlete #athlete

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On-screen text

Novig Female athletes criticize Sydney Sweeney's new ad She is pretty much nude, although she is using sports equipment to censor herself. So what are critics saying That this ad uses Sydney Sweeney to sexualize women in sports and it's setting women athletes back. But others are saying that this ad just uses sex to sell, which is an old marketing practice. Gracie Kramer, who is a former UCLA gymnast, idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like It's 2026 and women are still bringing down other women #sydneysweeney #womeninsports #womensupportingwomen #marissamelizz IT REALLY IS THAT DEEP shoutout to my girl @gracie.kramer for starting a whole fucking movement of girls women in sports!!! It is an easy hard fighting to be in this industry, we don't have the luxury to not have nothing to do with sports here, we don't sexualize women for legit no reason :( Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus posted, "I wasn't going to share this as I didn't want to give this any more attention, but I can't keep my mouth shut." She said: "I can't describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this." And a British sprinter actually used her platform after a race to address Sydney Sweeney. Amy Hunt came in fourth in the 200 meter sprint in the Ultimate Championship in Budapest and when she was live on BBC after the race, she said, "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like." Now these are just a few of the athletes who have shared their opinion on this ad. COMPLEX BARRIERS & DEEP ROOTED NEGATIVE ATTITUDES ARE AFFECTING ENJOYMENT GIRLS TOLD US: If I feel more confidence, I half more confidence, I'd be more willing to do it more. The fear is that you'll be criticized by somebody... Studying is way more important than it ever was, even when I was a drop in my priority list. DADS ARE LESS LIKELY TO SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE GIRLS THAN BOYS WHO ENCOURAGES AND SUPPORTS YOU TO BE ACTIVE? Boys and girls feel equally supported by their mums. Friends can be positive and supportive, but girls feel less supported by their friends to be active than boys. THE SPECTRUM OF ENGAGEMENT FOR TEENAGE GIRLS NEVER SPORTY USED TO BE SPORTY SPORTY NOW FEEL VERY SELF-CONSCIOUS, EXPOSED AND VULNERABLE 85% don't like other people watching them 69% don't like getting hot and sweaty 54% don't feel they have the right body shape 41% don't like wearing sports kit/clothing HIGH LACK OF CONFIDENCE AND PERCEIVED CAPABILITY 78% don't feel confident 76% feel others are judging them 66% don't feel good enough to take part 50% don't feel good at team sports And how they could feel pressured to look like someone like Sweeney. Now, the fact that this ad got so much attention is pretty much what a marketer hopes to happen. Sydney actually took to her Instagram stories and started sharing photos of other athletes' bodies professional photos, many of them were from the ESPN "Body Issue," which celebrates different athletes' bodies. However, those comparisons also earned Sweeney some backlash online. You might remember earlier this year, Sydney Sweeney did a different ad for a different company that got similar backlash. It was a jeans ad for American Eagle where she talks about having good jeans. People criticise that because it seemed like she was saying because she had blonde hair and blue eyes, she had superior genes - not denim, genetics. So, this ad for Novig was to promote that the platform is specifically for sports prediction markets. You can't bet on other categories, it's just sports. And it seems like casting Sydney Sweeney in a commercial gets you a lot of attention and raises a lot of eyebrows and gets a lot of focus on your brand. What do you think about the ad? starting Sydney Sweeney.

Transcript

You probably seen the new ad with Sydney Sweeney, she's scantily clad and she's promoting a sports prediction market. And female athletes are not happy about the new ad. Now, we can't show it to you here. She is pretty much nude, although she is using sports equipment to censor herself. So what are critics saying? That this ad uses Sydney Sweeney to sexualize women in sports and it's setting women athletes back. But others are saying that this ad just uses sex to sell, which is an old marketing practice. Gracie Kramer, who is a former UCLA gymnast, said, "Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like." And women are still bringing down other women. It's 2026 and women are still bringing down other women. #sydneysweeney #womeninsports #womensupportingwomen. Shoutout to @gracie.kramer for starting a whole fucking movement of girls women in sports!!! It is an easy hard fighting to be in this industry, we don't have the luxury to not have nothing to do with sports here, we don't sexualize women for legit no reason :( Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus posted, "I wasn't going to share this as I didn't want to give this any more attention, but I can't keep my mouth shut." She said: "I can't describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this." And a British sprinter actually used her platform after a race to address Sydney Sweeney. Amy Hunt came in fourth in the 200 meter sprint in the Ultimate Championship in Budapest and when she was live on BBC after the race, she said, "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like." Now these are just a few of the athletes who have shared their opinion on this ad. Some people online were pointing to studies about women and girls in sports. This one from 2022 from the Women in Sports organization found that 54% of girls surveyed felt that they didn't have the right body for their sport. Now a lot of people online were pointing to stats like that because they believe that women and girls are already self-conscious about their bodies and how they could feel pressured to look like someone like Sweeney. Now, the fact that this ad got so much attention is pretty much what a marketer hopes to happen. Sydney actually took to her Instagram stories and started sharing photos of other athletes' bodies, professional photos, many of them were from the ESPN "Body Issue," which celebrates different athletes' bodies. However, those comparisons also earned Sweeney some backlash online. You might remember earlier this year, Sydney Sweeney did a different ad for a different company that got similar backlash. It was a jeans ad for American Eagle where she talks about having good jeans. People criticise that because it seemed like she was saying because she had blonde hair and blue eyes, she had superior genes — not denim, genetics. So, this ad for Novig was to promote that the platform is specifically for sports prediction markets. You can't bet on other categories, it's just sports. And it seems like casting Sydney Sweeney in a commercial gets you a lot of attention and raises a lot of eyebrows and gets a lot of focus on your brand. What do you think about the ad? starting Sydney Sweeney.