‘Think you know sports?’ Sydney Sweeney doesn’t seem to think so
Illustration by Zoe Wren Arntsen, Illustrator
Unlike other sports betting websites, Novig has it all: no politics and big boobs.
In a recent advertisement for the sports betting website, actress Sydney Sweeney appeared almost naked, pretending to play various sports for their “Just Sports” campaign. The description of the YouTube video reads: “Who better to tell you that Novig is Just Sports than Sydney Sweeney wearing just sports?”
“It's never just sports,” said sports communication professor Brad Netherton. “It's political affiliation, politics, lifestyle, marketing, branding, socioeconomic status, social identity.”
Beyond her appearance in the advertisement, Sweeney’s first line “Think you know sports?” helps signal to viewers who the intended audience of the advertisement was: men.
“That's meant to challenge men's knowledge of sports. It's not a phrase etched to be towards women, towards females. It's exclusive towards males, it's challenging the masculinity. Sports equals masculine,” said Netherton.
Sweeney (who was the subject of one of Dodge College’s master classes last year) is no stranger to controversy, with previous marketing jobs sparking much backlash. Last year, American Eagle released an advertisement starring Sweeney all about her “great jeans.” Earlier the same year, Sweeney released a bath soap with Dr. Squatch “infused with her actual bathwater.” Advertisements like these have led many people to believe that Sweeney caters herself to the male gaze, as well as serving as a dog whistle for white supremacy.
“Recruiting Sydney Sweeney to do this, she came with her own baggage, her own kind of views. So with the last (American Eagle) with the ‘good genes’ debacle,” said Netherton. “They kind of knew already who they were going for.”
American gymnast Gracie Kramer posted a video on social media in response to the advertisement, starting a trend with many women athletes across skill levels posting videos of themselves performing their sports. British runner Amy Hunt also went viral for directly addressing Sweeney in a post-race interview saying, “this is what women in sport look like.”
The popularity of the Novig video spread quickly, along with the backlash in response to the offensive nature of the advertisement.
Sophomore psychology major Josie Shinkle grew up playing sports, and like many critics of the advertisement, was disappointed to see how it portrayed women in sports as Sweeney acted out various sports while naked.
“I think in some instances, women are represented in a negative way when it comes to sports. They tend to be sexualized or not taken as seriously as men’s sports,” Shinkle said, “I think we as a society should start taking women’s sports more seriously and realize they work just as hard as men.”
Even with the controversy, some supporters of the advertisement online rejected the idea that Sweeney’s appearance was objectification. Instead, perhaps that it falls into the category of sexual liberation and embracing your body.
Sex appeal is not an unfamiliar tool in marketing. In fact, women’s and gender studies director CK Magliola said the conventions in which women are portrayed in art, cinema and media have existed for centuries and people are “desensitized to them.” One of her classes, Feminist-Art-Theory-Power, analyzes these conventions.
“A naked woman's body or a provocative representation of a female body, is it in itself bad or good? That's the wrong question,” she said. “It's not that that image in itself is bad or good. It's that you have to analyze the context. To what purpose is it put, right? And then we can also become better at visual analysis.”
By using this imagery of women, Novig conveys the purpose of the advertisement to not be directed towards all athletes or people interested in sports, but rather to a specific group of men.
“I do think it's interesting that we're relying on targeting a negative ‘manosphere’ more, and justifying that and giving that not only a market, but a breath, an opportunity to thrive,” said Netherton. “I think that's really what the story of feminism and women's rights and stuff like that comes down to. It's whether we should support this kind of one-sided narrative to men about sex and sports.”
Beyond the video’s male-centered audience and Sweeney’s sexualization, the imagery and ideals conveyed to viewers raises more concerns.
“It's dangerous in some ways because it does have an impact on younger girls, even if they're not the target, right? These kinds of images impact them. Where, maybe, they want to look like that, or they want to understand ‘copy that and be appealing,’” said Magliola.
Novig’s video initially got a lot of attention for seemingly all the wrong reasons, but many women athletes are taking this as a time to show off their abilities.
“Since this kind of moment, this cultural splash or controversy, apparently a lot of people have watched this ad,” Magliola said, “If it does create more awareness, then that could be a really good thing for female athletes.”