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Sydney Sweeney defends sports ad after athletes call it sexualising

khaleejtimes.com — September 15, 2026 at 11:01 AM UTC

Sydney Sweeney has defended her new advertisement for sports trading app Novig after female athletes accused the actress of sexualising women's sports, prompting widespread backlash. The ad, which features Sweeney nude and covered with sports equipment, drew criticism from athletes including British runner Lucy Davis and Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who expressed anger over the campaign's portrayal of women in sport. In a statement on Novig's website, Sweeney said the campaign was about "embracing a fun idea" with "confidence, humour and a playful edge." She also shared ESPN Body Issue covers featuring naked athletes on Instagram, referencing past controversies including American Eagle's "great jeans" campaign.

With a significance score of 1.1, this news ranks in the top 57% 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)

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Sydney Sweeney's nude sports betting ad draws backlash from female Olympians (deadline.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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[1.9]

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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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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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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[1.5]

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1d 15h

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

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

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1d 16h

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[1.3]

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1d 11h

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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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Sydney Sweeney faces backlash from female athletes over nude sports betting ad (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

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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)

1d 15h

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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)

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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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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