Overview
- Novig released the “Just Sports” ad in early September, starring Sydney Sweeney as a strategic partner and showing her with minimal clothing alongside sports equipment to promote the company’s sports‑only prediction app.
- Female athletes responded by posting training and competition images to reassert athletic achievement and to condemn what they called the sexualisation of women’s sport.
- The ad achieved tens of millions of views and a near‑1,200% spike in online mentions, while Zappi polling found men were far more likely to be drawn to Novig and many women reported being put off, and Sweeney lost followers on social platforms.
- Psychologists warn the imagery can worsen body‑image pressures for girls and distract athletes from performance, and commentators say the campaign shows how viral outrage can boost small brands at the expense of women’s sport.
- The controversy raises commercial and regulatory questions for Novig about reputational risk, potential partner reactions, and how underrepresentation of women’s sport amplifies the impact of a single disruptive ad.