Sweeney's Novig Ad Sparks Athlete Backlash
Is this offensive imagery or a tiresome moral panic?
Above: Sydney Sweeney backstage during the 2026 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif., on April 25. Image credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Female athletes spent decades fighting to be seen as competitors and not be objectified. Women's sports grew into a multibillion-dollar force because of skill, grit and championships. Selling gambling by reducing women in sport to condescending imagery is lazy and insulting.
Right narrative
Nothing in this campaign claims to be about women's sports at all — it's an ad for a betting platform aimed squarely at male bettors wagering on men's games. Provocative imagery has always been part of marketing, and the outrage is just free advertising served up on a platter.