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Sydney Sweeney ad sparks backlash for sexualizing women's sports

nos.nl (Dutch) — September 14, 2026 at 03:01 PM UTC

A new ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney semi-nude with sports equipment for the betting app Novig has sparked backlash, with female athletes accusing it of sexualizing women's sports. The 29-year-old's spot has drawn widespread criticism since its release last Wednesday. Former Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus called the ad "a slap in the face" for women dedicated to sport, while ex-gymnast Gracie Kramer and sprinter Amy Hunt posted videos showing real female athletes to counter the imagery. Critics like runner Mary McCarthy called it a setback in the fight against judging women's bodies over performance. Sweeney has not responded substantively but shared older ESPN covers of male and female athletes on Instagram. This follows her July 2025 American Eagle campaign, where the slogan "great jeans" was interpreted as a reference to genes, which she denied.

With a significance score of 1.3, this news ranks in the top 44% of today's 33370 analyzed articles.

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[2.5]

Here's a revised title: Female athletes hit back at Sydney Sweeney's sports betting ad (nrc.nl)

9h

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Sydney Sweeney's nude sports betting ad draws backlash from female Olympians (deadline.com)

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Gracie Kramer Criticizes Sydney Sweeney Betting Ad, Sparks Athlete Trend (sports.yahoo.com)

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Sydney Sweeney ad backlash: Critics say it undermines women's sports progress (nytimes.com)

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Sydney Sweeney's nude betting ad sparks outrage from female athletes (leggo.it)

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Sydney Sweeney faces athlete backlash over ad sexualizing women's sports (dhnet.be)

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Sydney Sweeney's Nude Ad Sparks Outrage Among Female Athletes (watson.ch)

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Olympic champions slam betting ad with nude Sydney Sweeney as 'slap in the face' (gsp.ro)

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Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's nearly nude betting ad (lapresse.ca)

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Female athletes criticize Sydney Sweeney ad campaign (svd.se)

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Female athletes hit back at Sydney Sweeney's nude gambling ad: 'This is what women in sport look like' (nytimes.com)

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Female Athletes Slam Sydney Sweeney Betting Ad as Misrepresenting Women in Sports (bbc.com)

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Australian MP slams Sydney Sweeney's betting ad as 'toxic' lure (au.news.yahoo.com)

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Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's nude sports betting ad (cbc.ca)

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[1.7]

Duggan: Sweeney ad backlash shifts focus to female athletes' dedication (rte.ie)

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Female athletes criticize Sydney Sweeney ad for sexualizing women in sports (abc7.com)

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Sweeney's sports betting ad sparks backlash over sexist marketing (theguardian.com)

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Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney ad as demeaning to women's sports (ca.sports.yahoo.com)

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Australian Olympians slam Sydney Sweeney's sports ad as 'an absolute joke' (smh.com.au)

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Sydney Sweeney's Novig ad sparks backlash from Olympic athletes (midilibre.fr)

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Female athletes criticize Sydney Sweeney's sexualized sports ad (yahoo.com)

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Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's Novig ad as sexualizing their sport (theguardian.com)

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Female athletes criticize Sydney Sweeney ad for sexualizing women in sports (independent.co.uk)

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Female athletes criticize Sydney Sweeney ad for sexualizing women in sports (abcnews.com)

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Sydney Sweeney's Novig ad sparks envy debate among sports figures (nettavisen.no)

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Sydney Sweeney's Nearly Nude Betting Ad Sparks Fury from Olympic Athletes (libero.it)

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Sydney Sweeney loses 200,000 followers after sports betting ad backlash (kino.mail.ru)

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[1.5]

Sydney Sweeney's Sports Betting Ad Sparks Outrage from Female Athletes (cnnportugal.iol.pt)

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[1.5]

Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's betting ad as objectifying (ici.radio-canada.ca)

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Novig’s Sydney Sweeney ad sparks backlash from Northeastern experts (news.northeastern.edu)

1d 2h

[1.5]

Sydney Sweeney faces backlash over sexualised sports betting ads (independent.co.uk)

1d 15h

[1.5]

Female Olympians Slam Sydney Sweeney's Nude Sports Betting Ad (ca.news.yahoo.com)

1d 16h

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Sydney Sweeney faces backlash for sexualising women's sport in betting ad (irishtimes.com)

1d 15h

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Sydney Sweeney faces athlete backlash over nude sports betting ad (euronews.com)

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Sydney Sweeney's Nude Ad Sparks Backlash From Female Athletes (prothomalo.com)

1d 9h

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Sydney Sweeney's Sports Betting Ad Sparks Outrage from Female Athletes (faz.net)

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Sydney Sweeney defends sports betting ad after female athletes call it 'infuriating' (independent.co.uk)

1d 16h

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Sydney Sweeney ad sparks backlash for sexualizing women's sports (nos.nl)

1d 10h

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[1.3]

Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's nude sports-betting ad (ctvnews.ca)

1d 11h

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Sydney Sweeney loses over 200,000 followers after nude sports betting ad (cnnbrasil.com.br)

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Olympians slam Sydney Sweeney's betting ad for sexualizing women's sport (abc.net.au)

1d 23h

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Female Athletes Criticize Sydney Sweeney Ad for Sexualizing Their Sport (usnews.com)

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Sydney Sweeney faces backlash from female athletes over nude sports betting ad (ca.news.yahoo.com)

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Sydney Sweeney’s semi-nude ad sparks backlash over women in sports (theguardian.com)

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Amy Hunt calls for more role models after Sydney Sweeney betting advert backlash (skysports.com)

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Olympic champion slams Hollywood actress over nude ad for sports platform (hot.obozrevatel.com)

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Amy Hunt warns Sydney Sweeney betting ad may deter young girls from sport (independent.co.uk)

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Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's nude sports-betting ad (abc15.com)

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Sydney Sweeney faces backlash for nude Novig sports betting ads (nzherald.co.nz)

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Sydney Sweeney’s naked betting ad sparks backlash from female athletes (smh.com.au)

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Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's nude sports-betting ad (cnn.com)

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Sydney Sweeney Faces Backlash Over Nearly Nude Sports Betting Ad (kurier.at)

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Sydney Sweeney faces Olympic athletes' backlash over Novig ad accused of sexualizing women in sports (milenio.com)

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Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's nude sports betting ads (cnn.co.jp)

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Sydney Sweeney's career controversies from nude scenes to bathwater product (cnnbrasil.com.br)

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Amy Hunt warns Sydney Sweeney betting ad could deter young girls from sport (ca.news.yahoo.com)

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Female athletes slam Sydney Sweeney's nude sports betting ad (khaleejtimes.com)

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Sydney Sweeney defends sports ad after athletes call it sexualising (khaleejtimes.com)

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Australian Olympian Tilly Kearns Says Sydney Sweeney Ad Undermines Female Athletes (nine.com.au)

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Athletes Slam Sydney Sweeney’s Nude Sports Betting Ad (news18.com)

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Athletes hit back at Sydney Sweeney betting ad (bbc.com)

1d 14h

[1.0]

Sydney Sweeney hits back at critics over nude sports betting ad (noticiasaominuto.com)

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SNL alum Chloe Fineman parodies Sydney Sweeney's Novig ad with prosthetic breasts (independent.co.uk)

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Sydney Sweeney defends Novig sports ad by citing athletes' nude magazine covers (tribune.com.pk)

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Amy Hunt: Sydney Sweeney ad creates 'barrier' for girls in sport (bbc.co.uk)

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Sydney Sweeney hits back at athletes over revealing campaign backlash (kino.mail.ru)

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Athletes hit back at Sydney Sweeney betting ad: 'This is what women in sport look like' (bbc.co.uk)

1d 14h

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Amy Hunt hits back at Sydney Sweeney ad: this is what women in sport look like (sports.yahoo.com)

1d 13h

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Amy Hunt: Sydney Sweeney ad creates barrier for girls in sport (sports.yahoo.com)

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Female athletes hit out at Sydney Sweeney's betting advert after Budapest final (skysports.com)

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Amy Hunt criticises Sydney Sweeney's nude sports betting ad as 'what women in sport looks like' (espn.com.au)

1d 10h

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Sydney Sweeney defends sports ad after female athletes call it sexualizing (zeenews.india.com)

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Amy Hunt joins criticism of Sydney Sweeney's racy ad campaign (m24.ru)

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Ebanie Bridges defends Sydney Sweeney amid backlash over gambling ad (dailystar.co.uk)

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Sydney Sweeney responds to backlash over sports ad with cryptic Instagram posts (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

1d 20h

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Sydney Sweeney responds to critics of her sports betting ad with ESPN Body Issue photos (pagesix.com)

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Sydney Sweeney fires back at critics of her naked sports ad (dailystar.co.uk)

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Sydney Sweeney defends nude sports ad with ESPN magazine covers (foxnews.com)

1d 23h

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British runner Amy Hunt urges role models after Sweeney betting ad backlash (aawsat.com)

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Female athletes protest Sydney Sweeney ad with training video flashmob (kino.mail.ru)

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British runner Amy Hunt criticizes Sydney Sweeney's viral women in sports ad (hitc.com)

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Sydney Sweeney defends nude betting ad after female athletes' backlash (dailystar.co.uk)

1d 11h