August Moon | Staff Illustrator

I’ve seen Sydney Sweeney’s bum everywhere. 

Not because I’m looking for it, but because her ad for Novig, a sports betting platform, has kicked off heated discourse. In the advert, a scantily clad Sweeney provocatively proclaims, “Novig is just sports” and does so wearing miscellaneous sporting objects as a makeshift… “uniform.” 

In response to the ad, many netizens have denounced the advert as reductive and harmful to women’s sports. This anger, however, reflects less on the desire to “support women’s sports” and more on today’s culture of moral lookism and performative outrage. 

Since the 2018 landmark Supreme Court case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association struck down the federal ban on sports betting, the hobby has gone from one of cruise-shipgoers to something of a routine occurrence. In eight years, sports betting has gone from a $441 million industry to generating nearly $17 billion in revenue in 2025 — billions of eyes and dollars are at stake. Standing out in a competitive market like sports betting necessitates a special marketing campaign. Enter Sydney Sweeney’s bum. 

Sweeney, who reportedly negotiated equity in Novig and is credited as this ad’s creative director, isn’t just a bimbo for hire. A recent study from Siena University found that 52% of men ages 18-49 have an active sports betting account. As a shareholder, she’s merely cashing in on the audience the research deems fitting. 

Whatever her intent, relating sports imagery to a virtually naked woman can serve to sexualize that image. However, this ad is for sports betting — not sports. Sex appeal and over-sexualization as outrage marketing is nothing new, and it’s not going anywhere. 

The reality is that advertisers can’t change predetermined market demand; all they can do is look at the market, figure out what’ll get people looking, and decide whether the commercial benefits outweigh the social impacts. Sydney Sweeney knows sex sells, and she knows that she can make herself a ton of money doing so.

However, pointing the blame at an individual neglects the societal issue at hand. The reality is that Sweeney is a charlatan; she rides the wave from controversy (selling her bathwater as soap), to controversy (the infamous “great genes” ad for American Apparel), to controversy (the surfacing of her ties to the Republican party). After all, “all PR is good PR.” 

So, are we really lending Sydney Sweeney — the bathwater-mongerer — credibility in the realm of women’s sports? 

If we’re discussing blame, what about the audience the advert is made for — your sons, your friends, your partners, your brothers? Why are the “gooners” not being held accountable for their role in the proliferation of these kinds of ads? Ultimately, if there wasn’t a demand, these ads wouldn’t be seen as effective or commercially viable, and therefore, made. 

Blaming Sweeney alone serves as an example of performative outrage, allowing people to feel morally superior without tackling the issue at hand. The first week of this debacle, my feed was plagued with reposts of Canva slop, all of which disparaged Sweeney for her role in setting back women’s sports. Not once, however, did I see any commitment to action. After all, posts are a good way to get the brownie points without needing to motivate beyond clicking “upload.” 

If anything, must we publish every take in the first place? The faux outrage of Instagram and “X” (i.e., Twitter) users has helped the campaign by pushing the ad into the zeitgeist. We can criticize the sexualization of women in popular culture without turning said outrage into a cultural moment!

We cannot drop the ball here. While the spotlight is on women’s sports, we should use this to highlight what women can do while recognizing legitimate mistreatment. 

This mistreatment isn’t hard to find. X League, self-branded as the “Highest Platform of Women’s American Football,” requires its players to wear booty shorts and cropped jerseys as uniforms. To understand the league’s premise as featuring scantily clad women playing football requires only a cursory glance at their Instagram page. Supposedly returning soon for another season, can we not direct our anger toward the actual exploitation of women’s bodies in sports? 

If you’re mad, go support women’s sports! Maybe that’s by following female athletes or teams on social media. For example, if you’re keen on the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, go follow the US Women’s team (@uswnt) — four-time champions and the most successful team in the tournament’s history. If you are a contrarian (or a fellow international student), drop a follow to the English Lionesses (@lionesses) — we’ll find out together whether they qualify…

Furthermore, the schedule for all WashU sports games can be found on washubears.com. Go to one (especially women’s club water polo — we have the strongest legs on campus)! Don’t want to go alone? Go with some friends. If nobody will go with you, text me on Instagram @evaswansonn. 

If Sydney Sweeney can flash her ass “for women’s sports,” you can get off your asses and go to a game. Go Bears!