Sydney Sweeney has put prediction markets in the spotlight, but Olympic athletes are not sold.
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Key Takeaways
Olympic champions have accused Sydney Sweeney’s nude Novig campaign of sexualizing women’s sport.
LeBron James, Timothée Chalamet, and other celebrities are helping prediction markets compete for mainstream audiences.
US lawmakers are questioning whether prediction markets use celebrity marketing to sidestep gambling safeguards.
Sydney Sweeney’s nude advertisement for sports prediction market Novig has ignited an Olympic backlash.
The criticism comes as some of the world’s biggest celebrities have begun promoting an industry still fighting over whether its products are investments or gambling.
Four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus described the campaign as “an absolute joke,” while other athletes published videos clapping back at the ad.
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The “Novig Is Just Sports” campaign shows a naked Sweeney amongst footballs, basketballs, tennis rackets, and other sports gear positioned around her body.
Its central message is that Novig restricts its markets to sporting outcomes, unlike its competitors, which allow contracts linked to elections, conflicts, or deaths.
“No betting on wars, or deaths and no politics,” Sweeney says in the campaign.
“Just you, your takes and sports.”
However, the ad was quickly overwhelmed by criticism from Olympians who felt their sports were being “sexualised”.
American gymnast Gracie Kramer responded with a video declaring:
“This is what a woman in sport looks like.”
Olympians spoke out against the Novig ad | Source: Instagram (@gracie.kramer)
Meanwhile, swimming champion Ariarne Titmus said the campaign undermined athletes who had dedicated their lives to their sport.
Australian water polo silver medallist Tilly Kearns also claimed the finished advertisement was worse than she had imagined.
Skye Nicolson, an Australian boxer, also criticized the sexualization, although she acknowledged that the outrage was giving Novig “exactly what they wanted.”
The original campaign has accumulated more than 33 million Instagram views, according to ABC News.
Sweeney appeared to answer the backlash by sharing eight images from ESPN’s former Body Issue, which featured nude athletes including Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey.
Sweeney Is More Than Novig’s Celebrity Spokesperson
Sweeney’s financial relationship with Novig goes beyond an advertising fee.
The company confirmed that she became a strategic partner and equity holder after approaching Novig about an investment.
Chief Executive Jacob Fortinsky said Sweeney also helped shape the campaign’s creative direction and messaging.
Novig publicly identified Sweeney as an equity partner in its announcement, making the relationship discoverable.
However, the campaign’s central video does not explain the size or nature of her ownership interest.
While that does not automatically constitute a regulatory violation, it highlights how celebrity endorsements have become more complex in the age of influencers.
LeBron James Leads Polymarket’s Celebrity Offensive
Sweeney’s campaign is just one of the recent attempts by prediction markets to flood social media at the beginning of the football season.
LeBron James recently moved from DraftKings to a new partnership with Polymarket, placing one of the world’s most recognizable athletes at the heart of the prediction-market boom.
A full commercial set inside a fictional “Polymarket HQ” featured James alongside Eli Manning, filmmaker Spike Lee, and more.
The criticism has not prevented the commercial from reaching a huge audience.
James’ post generated more than 15 million views within its first day, according to Front Office Sports.
Kalshi has taken a slightly different route with Timothée Chalamet.
Under a multi-year agreement announced in June, the actor appeared in a series of deliberately surreal advertisements for the prediction market firm.
Celebrity Push Lands Amid Lawmaker Scrutiny
The celebrity advertising push comes as US lawmakers intensify their scrutiny of how prediction markets are promoted.
In June, Senators John Curtis and Adam Schiff questioned the CFTC about allegations that Polymarket engaged in staged trades and used undisclosed paid influencers.
The Senators argued that betting-style products should not escape gambling safeguards by being labeled financial contracts.
This month, Alex Padilla and Mark Warner raised fresh concerns, demanding details about Kalshi and Polymarket’s relationships with influencers accused of spreading election misinformation.
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Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
