Article by Tommy Burns, BuzzStaff Writer
Sydney Sweeney in her Novig advertisement. Photo Courtesy of Novig
Actress Sydney Sweeney’s recent advertisement for the sports book and trading app Novig has caught the attention of St. Ambrose athletes, but its success is also the source of disagreement: Is it clever marketing, or does it come at the expense of how women are viewed in sports?
The debate centers on the use of Sweeney’s nude appearance to attract viewers. SAU’s male and female athletes have mixed reactions. Some view the advertisement as doing its job, while others question whether it encourages people to judge women’s bodies before recognizing their athletic ability.
Junior track runner Danielle Moore says the advertisement hypersexualizes women, with consequences that can follow women onto the track. She says she believes it makes it easier for men to comment on what female athletes wear and pick apart their bodies as they compete.
In her view, a woman’s form becomes something to scrutinize instead of a reflection of the talent she brings to her sport.
“It makes it easier for people to comment on what we’re wearing instead of paying attention to how we compete. We’re out there to perform, not to have our bodies picked apart.”
Junior Elsa Appleton, who previously played softball, focuses on the responsibility that comes with celebrity influence. She questions what Sweeney’s participation means for other women who are working to be taken seriously in sports.
“It’s dehumanizing. It reduces women to sex objects, and it’s embarrassing to see someone with such a big platform use it in a way that diminishes other women.”
Elsa also distinguishes between celebrity attention and recognition earned through competition. She points to Serena Williams to explain why an established athletic career changes how she views an endorsement.
“Someone like Serena Williams has already shown the world what she can do,” Elsa adds. “She put in the work and earned that recognition. Whatever ad she does, people still know her for being an incredible athlete.”
SAU golfer and junior Nathan Newman also questions what viewers took from the commercial.
“I get that they want people to talk about it, but nobody is really talking about sports,” he says. “They’re talking about Sydney Sweeney.”
Junior Morgan Baker, who previously competed in swimming and track, acknowledges that the advertisement has accomplished its mission: people are paying attention.
But she says the image it presents does not reflect the range of bodies among female athletes. Morgan says the campaign makes women in sports all about their bodies, reinforcing an expectation of how they should look rather than recognizing what they can do.
“If the goal was to get people talking, then mission accomplished,” Morgan says. “But female athletes don’t all look like that, and making everything about our bodies takes away from what we can actually do.”
Morgan also questions how the advertisement was approved in the first place. She says women have worked hard to break barriers and earn respect in sports, only to see a campaign like this reduce the conversation to their bodies again.
To her, it diminishes that hard work and makes progress feel as though it has been pushed back to square one. “Women have worked so hard to break barriers and be taken seriously in sports. Then an ad like this comes out, and we’re back to talking about their bodies. It feels like being pushed back to square one.”
For junior SAU bowler Tyler Close, that attention is evidence the ad works. He says the criticism makes the commercial a bigger issue.
“Honestly, I think people are looking way too deep into it,” Tyler says. “It’s an ad. They wanted people to look at it, and people definitely looked at it.”
Junior Evan White agrees that being memorable is a sign of effective advertising. “Whether you like it or not, you remember it,” he says. “I saw it once and knew exactly what it was for.”
Danielle says women should remember to feel comfortable while working out or competing. She urges them to wear what works for them without letting the advertisement or the comments it might encourage influence their choices.
Her message is that other people’s scrutiny should not decide what women feel free to wear in their own sport. “You’re still allowed to feel comfortable when you work out or play your sport,” Danielle says. “Don’t let this ad make you scared to wear what works for you. Other people’s comments shouldn’t get to make that decision.”
For St. Ambrose athletes, the question is not simply whether the advertisement made people look. It is what they were encouraged to see.
