Sydney Sweeney [Getty Images]
Sydney Sweeney [Getty Images]

Hollywood actor Sydney Sweeney has drawn sharp criticism from female athletes over a sports betting advertisement that many say sexualizes women in sports.

According to AP and The New York Times on Tuesday (local time), Sweeney appeared in a recently released ad for sports betting platform Novig in a series of provocative, scantily clad scenes.

In the ad, Sweeney covers herself with a rugby ball, straddles a basketball hoop and lies across a billiard table while declaring she only bets on sports.

A number of female athletes spoke out against the campaign.

British track and field athlete Amy Hunt told the BBC: "Sydney Sweeney, the real face of women in sport is muscle, hard work, sweat, blood and tears." Australian swimming gold medalist Ariarne Titmus asked, "Why is it still acceptable to commodify women's bodies and sport?" and called the ad an insult to women who have dedicated their lives to athletics.

American gymnast Gracie Kramer also weighed in, posting a video of female athletes competing at full intensity and writing that it showed "what women in sport really look like."

Sweeney fired back by sharing old photo shoots featuring tennis star Serena Williams and soccer player Megan Rapinoe.

As the controversy grew, Sweeney lost nearly 200,000 Instagram followers in about a week.

Sweeney no stranger to ad controversies

This is not the first time Sweeney has found herself at the center of an advertising controversy.

In January, according to TMZ and People magazine, Sweeney climbed the Hollywood Sign structure on Mulholland Hill in Los Angeles and draped underwear over it.

She reportedly staged the stunt to film a promotional video for an underwear brand she is preparing to launch.

However, Sweeney faced questions about trespassing: while she had obtained a filming permit from FilmLA, the agency that issues public location permits in the Los Angeles area, she had not received authorization from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce — the owner of the structure — to use it.

Sweeney also drew criticism last year when she appeared in an American Eagle clothing ad whose tagline — "Sydney Sweeney has great 'Jeans'" — was accused of promoting racism.

The campaign was widely interpreted as deliberate noise marketing, exploiting the near-identical pronunciation of "jeans" and "genes" to stir controversy.

At the time, Donald Trump weighed in, posting that "Republican Sydney Sweeney has the hottest ad" and adding, "Go Sydney!"

The comment drew a cold reception from some on the progressive side of the political spectrum.

Sweeney, who is from Spokane, Washington, made her debut in the 2009 film "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction" and rose to stardom with a prominent role in the HBO drama series "Euphoria" in 2019.

Her film credits include "Under the Silver Lake," "Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood" and "The Housemaid." On television, she has appeared in "Criminal Minds," "The Handmaid's Tale" and "The White Lotus."


yul@heraldcorp.com