Australian Olympian Matilda Kearns has publicly denounced a new advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney for the sports betting platform Novig. Kearns, a member of the Australian national women's water polo team, shared her criticism on Instagram, posting a video montage of her team training and competing alongside a strong statement against the ad.
In her post, Kearns expressed her dismay, stating, "I absolutely fking hate Sydney Sweeney's new sports ad." She further elaborated in the caption, "Like what are we doing… so much worse than I imagined too." Kearns concluded her post by suggesting, "Here's some real women's sports content," accompanied by a medal emoji.
The advertisement in question features Sweeney, 29, nude and using various sports equipment to cover herself. The campaign has generated considerable attention since its release.
Kearns's post garnered significant support from followers who echoed her sentiments. Many commented on the perceived inappropriateness of sexualizing gambling and suggested that advertisements for women's sports should be prioritized. Some users expressed their disappointment, with one writing, "Literally unfollowed her after that ad," while another suggested, "This should be our women in sports ad!"
However, not all reactions were critical of Sweeney. Some followers defended the actress, arguing she was simply "doing her job." Others suggested that criticism stemmed from jealousy of her success and beauty, with one commenter stating, "Easy to hate someone you are also jealous of." Another user defended Sweeney by questioning the criticism and invoking the idea of "women supporting women."
Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky revealed that Sweeney herself chose to appear nude in the campaign. According to Fortinsky, Sweeney was drawn to Novig because it focuses exclusively on sports predictions, distinguishing it from other platforms that offer a wider range of betting topics. Fortinsky quoted Sweeney as saying, "I'm uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what color underwear I'm going to wear. There's something clean about sports."
Sweeney holds an equity stake in Novig, and Fortinsky noted her ability to "captivate audiences and be the center of attention," suggesting the campaign was intended to generate discussion and national discourse.