Amy Hunt has voiced serious concerns that Sydney Sweeney’s provocative betting commercial could act as an obstacle for girls who might otherwise be drawn to sport. The advertisement, produced for the U.S.
betting firm Novig, features the Euphoria actress scantily clad and draped in various pieces of sports equipment. It has sparked a wave of criticism from women athletes and supporters who argue that it undermines the image of female athletes. Hunt’s response was swift and pointed.
After finishing fourth in the 200‑metre race at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, she took to Good Morning Britain to challenge the message conveyed by the ad. “When we’re trying to provide role models for young people and young women in sport, we really want to show that it’s about what your body can do, not so much what it looks like,” she said.
Hunt highlighted the alarming statistic that 64 percent of girls drop out of organized sport before they turn 16, warning that any additional barrier—whether visual, cultural or commercial—could push those numbers even higher. She continued, “We need to give girls and women the chance to stay active in whatever form feels right to them, whether that means training for a professional career or simply joining a local ParkRun with friends.” Her message centered on empowerment: the focus should be on participation and personal achievement, not on conforming to a narrow standard of attractiveness.
“Sport isn’t about looking pretty,” Hunt asserted. “It’s about pushing your limits, even when it means you look sweaty, exhausted, or even a little broken‑hearted after a hard session.” She recalled moments when she had been physically ill on the track or left a training session in tears, underscoring that the reality of elite sport is often gritty and far from glamorous.
Hunt’s criticism was echoed by several other high‑profile athletes. Former U.S.
Olympic gymnast Gracie Kramer posted a short video of herself performing a routine, captioning it, “Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing but this is what a woman in sport looks like.” Australian boxer Skye Nicolson added a comment on Instagram: “There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport and using sex to sell sport.” Both statements reinforced the idea that authentic athleticism should not be conflated with sexualized marketing. In what appeared to be a defensive maneuver, Sweeney shared a series of images from ESPN Magazine’s BODY Issue on her Instagram stories. The collection featured nude portraits of celebrated athletes such as Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe, perhaps an attempt to align her own image with a tradition of celebrating the athletic form in a non‑objectifying way. Whether this gesture mitigated the backlash is debatable, but it did shift the conversation toward a broader discussion about how women’s bodies are represented in sports media.
Despite the controversy, Hunt remains optimistic that the outpouring of support for women in sport will outweigh any negative impact the ad might have caused. “The reaction has almost outweighed the moment because the first thing I saw was all of the positive compilations of women in sport,” she noted. She clarified that her critique is not a personal attack on Sweeney, but rather an objection to the intent behind the advertisement. “It’s more about the intention, and it’s just moved into a completely different spin now, where we’re able to kind of have all these different things celebrating women’s sport.” The episode highlights a larger cultural debate: how to balance commercial interests with the responsibility of presenting athletes—especially young female athletes—as role models rooted in skill, dedication, and resilience rather than aesthetic appeal.
For many, the conversation serves as a reminder that role models should inspire through performance and perseverance, showing that the value of sport lies in what the body can achieve, not merely how it appears on a screen. In the months ahead, stakeholders in the sporting community—coaches, governing bodies, sponsors, and media outlets—will likely continue to grapple with these questions.
The hope expressed by Hunt and her fellow athletes is that the dialogue will lead to more thoughtful, inclusive representations that encourage every girl to lace up her shoes, step onto the field, and discover the joy of movement without fear of judgment based on appearance.