Is It Really Just Sports, Sydeny Sweeney?
A new ad campaign starring popular actress Sydney Sweeney is sparking a debate online and in the sports world. People are talking about how the media portrays women, but many female athletes are calling out the ad for focusing on looks rather than skill.
The advertisement was created for a sports prediction app called Novig. The app features Sydney Sweeney posing with basketballs, footballs, and wearing hockey gear, stating the phrase “Just Sports.” The company states they wanted a bold ad to catch people’s attention, but that wasn’t the case. It quickly received backlash from women in sports all over the world.
Instead of letting this ad define what women in sports look like, female athletes went to social media as well as doing interviews to show what it really takes to be in a sport as a woman.
A British Olympic sprinter, Amy Hunt, looked right at the camera and stated, “That was incredible, to be part of such an incredible race — Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” Hunt said to BBC Sport after the race. “21.4, muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears, a beautiful evening.” Rather than looking pretty for a camera. Olympic champion swimmer Ariarne Titmus questioned why mainstream ads still focus on relying on sexualizing women to sell things that are related to sports. Professional boxer Skye Nicolson said there’s a big difference between feeling confident as a woman athlete and sexualizing women’s bodies to sell a sports brand. Other female athletes posted videos of their intense sports and workouts to show what really goes into being a women’s athlete.
Sydney Sweeney’s ad has created a strong divide online among viewers. Some people are defending the campaign, saying it was just to promote a sports app aimed at regular sports fans, and that Sydney has the right to build her brand how she wants. But on the other hand, people argue that using this type of media to advertise makes it much harder for women in sports to be taken seriously for their skills and achievements, rather than focusing on their physical image.
For young women student athletes at our school, this topic is upsetting. Female high school athletes work hard every day on the track, court, and field to earn respect from their peers for their wins and their strong dedication. Maya McComb, class of 2027, who is a high-achieving athlete at Moreau Catholic High School and is involved in varsity track, varsity girls soccer, and varsity flag football, said, “The ad was incredibly infuriating, and instead of focusing on the ad, we should focus on all of the incredible female athletes out there.”
When big ads focus mainly on looks, it can send out a discouraging message, but the strong pushback from female athletes across the world shows that women in sports are ready to stand up for themselves and continue to make a difference.