Sydney Sweeney is responding to backlash over her new sports-themed Novig ad the same way she started it, by doubling down. The sports-prediction market platform launched its “Just Sports” campaign on Wednesday, with Sweeney appearing nearly n-de, posing with sports equipment like footballs, a tennis racket, hockey pads and a baseball bat across a series of photos and videos.

The ad drew negative reactions from female athletes and Olympians, who publicly criticized Sweeney for s-xualizing women in sports rather than promoting Novig’s actual product or service. But Sweeney has responded with a series of old images that appear to be an attempt to prove she wasn’t the first to do this.

Sweeney posted a series of Instagram Stories showcasing images from ESPN‘s annual “Body Issue” photoshoots, which ran for 11 years until 2019. She highlighted images of Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki from those spreads, alongside male athletes who’ve posed nearly n-de, including Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jason Kelce.

The inclusion of Towns, a six-time All-Star who currently plays for the New York Knicks, added an NBA connection to Sweeney’s response. The star center posed n-de for the 10th-anniversary edition of the magazine back in 2018 to highlight how he overcame his insecurity about his lanky body frame.

“Growing up, I’d always been told that my biggest weakness was my body and how that was probably going to hold me back from accomplishing my dreams,” KAT told ESPN. “It’s funny — full circle now … I got the chance to prove everyone from college, high school, middle school wrong. I was that chubby kid with not the flashiest body, and now I’m able to represent myself and my family and all the journeys and the trials and tribulations that I went through to get to this body.

“I think people are going to be surprised at how long my legs are compared to my torso, and my arms as well — I am a very lanky fellow. I think it looks a little funny. But I think people are going to be surprised to see how much work I truly put into my body so that I can do what I do on the court.”

At the time, Towns was just cementing his name in the NBA scene, fresh off averaging 21.3 ppg in his third season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He did that campaign for a very different reason back then compared to what’s going on around Sweeney now.

Not everyone, though, is buying Sweeney’s social comparison to past athlete photoshoots. Stephen Warren, a communication studies professor at Northeastern University who specializes in sports media, called Sweeney’s response “disingenuous,” arguing that the campaign’s perceived underlying goal seemed to be going viral from the start, rather than the athlete-focused personal storytelling associated with the ESPN magazine.

Australian surfer Felicity Palmateer told CNN the ad is “very damaging” for female athletes and young girls looking to get into sport.

Sweeney continued to promote the campaign despite the criticism. Her original Instagram post featuring the Novig ad had received about 1.1 million likes as of September 14, though the available reporting does not substantiate claims that a separate carousel had topped two million likes or generated double the views.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Sweeney 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.”

Has Novig responded to the criticism surrounding their Sydney Sweeney ad?

Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky told Front Office Sports that the ad concept was Sweeney’s idea, which she brought to them. She was “excited” about the brand because Novig focused on “just sports” odds and didn’t delve into betting on celebrities’ personal lives. Sweeney also wanted the platform to stand apart from markets that allow betting on personal matters.

“There’s something clean about sports,” Sweeney reportedly said, explaining why she wanted the campaign built exclusively around sports and nothing else.

This isn’t the first time an ad campaign has put Sweeney at the center of public debate. Her American Eagle denim campaign, built around the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” drew similar controversy last year over its wordplay on “genes.” Sweeney didn’t apologize for that campaign either.

When GQ later asked her directly about the fallout, she said she was surprised by the reaction but stood by it, telling the magazine, “I think that when I have an issue I want to speak about, people will hear.”

The Novig campaign has continued to draw online attention despite the criticism. Sweeney has also maintained her public schedule through the controversy, including appearances at the 2026 Venice Film Festival and an Armani Beauty event.