Tejal Somvanshi
Sydney Sweeney is facing backlash for her role in promoting Novig, a sports prediction market, through an advertising campaign called “Just Sports.” Her involvement extends significantly beyond a standard celebrity endorsement. Sweeney has taken on a strategic partner and equity holder position with the company, making her a part-owner alongside her role as the campaign’s face.
Novig launched last month. The platform allows users to trade on the outcomes of sporting events. Novig describes itself as combining “the mechanics of modern financial exchanges with a sports-first experience.” Critically, the company maintains a 21+ age requirement for all users, a restriction that sets it apart from other platforms in its category.
Sweeney announced her partnership this week while in Australia filming the live-action Gundam adaptation for Netflix.
Two main concerns have driven the backlash. First, some viewers say the advertisement is sexualized and inappropriate for television, where children remain part of the audience. On TikTok, users reported telling their children to look away from the screen. Some suggested the ad warrants an R-rated rating. Second, critics have raised questions about promoting a prediction market—a product tied to gambling—to television audiences that include younger viewers, regardless of the platform’s internal age gate.
This is Sweeney’s second advertising controversy in recent years. More than a year earlier, she faced criticism over an American Eagle campaign that some said objectified her, sparking broader debate about how women are portrayed in advertisements.
When asked about the current campaign, Sweeney said she had been “part of the creative conversations from the very beginning.” She described “Just Sports” as “a very simple and playful idea.”
Sweeney’s move into equity and strategic partnership reflects a broader trend in celebrity marketing: high-profile personalities transforming endorsement deals into ownership stakes in the brands they promote. This expands her role from paid spokesperson to strategic business partner, giving her a financial interest in the company’s success.
For those unfamiliar, a prediction market is a platform where users trade on predictions about future events. Rather than buying or selling traditional stocks, Novig users predict sports outcomes and trade based on their predictions. The 21+ age gate is designed to address responsible participation by restricting platform access to adults, a selling point for the company.
Novig emphasizes that it is “the only prediction market to maintain a 21+ age requirement.” Still, the backlash raises questions about how celebrities market gambling-adjacent products and how traditional television advertising reaches audiences across age groups.
