Sydney Sweeney Fires Back At Olympic Athletes Who Slammed Her “Birthday Suit” Ad
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Sydney Sweeney has built a pattern over the past year of turning brand partnerships into national conversations. Her American Eagle campaign last summer drew accusations of promoting eugenics, sparking weeks of debate before eventually fading from headlines.
That controversy barely qualifies as a warmup compared to what followed this month. Sweeney partnered with sports prediction platform Novig, both starring in its launch campaign and joining as a strategic partner and equity holder.
The reaction from actual professional athletes made clear this backlash would look different.
Olympic Athletes Led The Criticism
Sweeney’s ad used sports equipment to cover her body throughout the minute-long spot, built around the tagline that Novig is “just sports.” Four-time Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus didn’t hold back in her response.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” she wrote on Instagram. “Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is.”
Other athletes echoed that frustration directly. Gymnast Gracie Kramer posted her own competition footage captioned, “Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing but this is what a woman in sports looks like.”
Olympic sprinter Bree Masters shared similar images of herself competing, writing, “Respectfully Sydney Sweeney… This is what women in sports really look like.”
Boxer Skye Nicolson framed the core issue slightly differently. “There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport compared to using sex to sell ‘sport,’” she wrote.
Sweeney Defended The Campaign’s Concept
Sweeney addressed the criticism directly in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“The campaign was about embracing a fun idea,” she said. “The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”
She later posted a series of ESPN magazine covers on her Instagram Stories, featuring athletes like Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe who had also posed nude for past editorial spreads.
The move appeared to push back against critics by drawing a direct comparison to previously celebrated imagery within sports media itself.
Neither Sweeney nor Novig has issued any further public statement beyond the above. Given how quickly this controversy escalated compared to her past campaigns, it’s likely the conversation around it continues well into the coming week.
