Disastrous Sydney Sweeney ad sparks empowering social response from women athletes

The GIST: We said it once and we’ll say it again, that ad sucked. Whether it was intended as rage bait or just the most recent flop in a series of problematic sports adverts, it’s exhausting. Content creators are leading the backlash against said ad, and no one is doing it better, or more empowering, than actual women in sports. Bam.

The context: Last week, new sports-focused prediction market Novig dropped its first national brand campaign starring equity investor and actress Sydney Sweeney. Mostly naked save for a few strategically placed pieces of sporting equipment, Sweeney describes the creative direction as bold with a “playful edge,” but the backlash shows many sports fans aren’t buying it.

The response: Former UCLA gymnast Gracie Kramer posted a response to the ad that racked up over 17M views on Instagram in just two days. Her prompt to show what a woman in sports looks like was taken up by athletes all over the world, from skateboarders and powerlifters to boxers and everywhere in between.

• The ad hits close to home for a lot of these athletes because of the significant push to de-sexualize sportswear and TV broadcasting in recent years so women can feel more comfortable competing. And on the business side, existing in a male-dominated industry shouldn’t mean success comes from submitting to the male gaze.

The takeaway: It’s 2026, and some brands are showing they can’t sell a product without sexualizing or humiliating women. The volume of prediction markets is expected to reach $1T by 2030 and more than $5B in trading volume was recorded over the first NFL weekend. But if a marketing department in one of the fastest growing industries in the world can’t make an ad without objectifying women, maybe it isn’t worth the gamble.