“Just Sports?”

Novig campaign sparks discussion over portrayal of women in athletics

In an advertisement promoting the sports prediction betting platform Novig, Hollywood actress and Emmy Award nominee Sydney Sweeney sparked controversy. Sweeney launched a viral “Just Sports” campaign—a “fun idea” to “put the focus entirely on sports,” according to one of Sweeney’s press statements. However, the Novig advertisement and Sweeney’s near nudity in it elicited heated discussions about much more than just sports.

Like previously controversial advertisements in which she participated—including American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” denim campaign that drew backlash for wordplay which critics argued suggested eugenics—the Novig advertisement generated conversation online. 

The “Just Sports” tagline of Sydney Sweeney’s recent commercial distinguished Novig’s business model from its competitors in sports betting. While larger platforms create betting opportunities on a variety of markets like politics and cryptocurrency, Novig specializes strictly in sports. Created in August of 2022, Novig operates as a peer-to-peer sports prediction market, allowing users to trade on outcomes such as futures and player statistics. 

According to Novig, Sweeney’s appearance was meant to reinforce the platform’s unique identity of focusing entirely on sports. Instead, the imagery prompted criticism from viewers who argued that her suggestive imagery through nudity is a perpetuation of harmful sports advertising focusing on female athletes’ sexuality.

Many female athletes were among those criticizing Sweeney’s portrayal of women in sports. NCAA Championship medalist and American artistic gymnast Gracie Bruins commented on social media.

“This ad is frustrating,” she wrote. “It reduces women’s role in or association with sports — whether they’re an athlete or not — to their bodies. Over-sexualizing athletes is already a clear issue in women’s sports, and this exacerbates the issue.” 

The controversy surrounding “Just Sports” has also prompted many reactions at Deerfield, home to a community of varsity and future NCAA D1-level female athletes. 

History Teacher and Rowing Coach Molly Lyons expressed her frustration with the Novig advertisement and its portrayal of women in sports advertising. 

“I think the purpose of looking at an athlete and talking about whether or not they are aesthetically appealing is focusing on something that isn’t related to what they can do,” she said. Ms. Lyons suggested that advertisements in the sports industry can represent women well by accentuating their athletic ability and the range of races, backgrounds, and body types in competitive women's sports. 

Referencing Nike’s “Dream Crazier” sports campaign, she said, “I think there’s an empowering aspect of acknowledging a stereotype against women and turning it into something positive.”

Varsity soccer and alpine skiing athlete Eliza Todd ’27, who grew up playing both sports, emphasized the same Nike advertisement as significantly more empowering than Sweeney’s Novig portrayal of female athletes. 

Todd underscored the idea of physical appearance existing separately from measures of athletic accomplishment. She noted that although  “promoting an athletic body positively can be empowering to people,” these benefits are dependent on the context of surrounding conversations. Specifically, in the case of Sweeney’s commercial, she said, “ I don’t think using her body to promote athletics … was effective or beneficial for viewers.”

 Commentary against Sweeney’s Novig advertisement has been publicized and reported by The New York Times, The Washington Post and Cable News Network.

Conversely, from a financial standpoint, supporters of the campaign have pointed to the strategy behind Sweeney’s advertisement. Forbes attributed the advertisement's success to outrage marketing, a strategy that has accompanied Sweeney’s previous controversial campaigns, such as her partnership with American Eagle. 

Following the advertisement’s release, Novig has seen a 900% spike in engagement across social media platforms, and the app climbed from No. 50 to No. 11 on Apple’s App Store sports rankings. Novig’s trade value also jumped from $37 million to $69 million. 

According to Forbes, social media algorithms are coded to prioritize content that has received high engagement, and controversial advertisements like the Novig advertisement push viewers to engage by commenting and sharing their disapproval online.