MSNOW host Jen Psaki took aim at a new sports betting ad featuring Sydney Sweeney on a recent episode of her YouTube show Psaki Bombs, saying the provocative clip sends the wrong message about women in sports. The ad, promoting the sports betting app Novig, features Sweeney posing while covering herself with footballs and a tennis racket, including on a Times Square billboard.
Psaki said she was struck by how widely the ad had spread online, calling it “impressive” in terms of reach, but made clear she saw its cultural impact as damaging. She stressed that her concern was not about Sweeney’s personal choices but about what the imagery communicates to younger women and athletes.
Except, many critics suggested that Psaki has no argument against Sweeney’s ad and no one really cares about it. Critics also said it’s more harmful for women’s sports to have biological males competing against them, rather than some random ad most people wouldn’t care about one way or the other.
Psaki’s Case Against the Novig Ad
“The issue with this ad, at least from my perspective, it’s not how Sydney Sweeney is choosing to use her own body. She looks great. Good for her,” Psaki said on the show. But the problem is the message an ad like this sends about women in sports and for decades, as anyone who follows women’s sports knows, female athletes have been fighting this relentless and usually completely misogynistic sexualization of women’s sports.
Psaki argued that highly talented female athletes who win championships are routinely reduced to conversations about their appearance, and that the Novig ad reinforces that dynamic. She cited a correlation between girls who participate in sports and those who later move into leadership roles, warning that ads like this one threaten that pipeline by keeping the focus on bodies rather than ability. You can read more about the Sydney Sweeney Novig ad controversy and the reaction it has generated.
Gracie Kramer Calls Out the Ad Directly
Psaki said she fully supported female athletes who have spoken out against the ad, including former U.S. gymnast Gracie Kramer. Kramer posted a pointed response on Instagram, writing: “I’ve spent my entire life competing in a sport where female athletes have been oversexualized, reduced to our bodies, and forced to fight to be taken seriously for what we can actually do.”
Psaki described the frustration felt across college athletics, where women’s programs are facing funding cuts even as their athletes compete at the highest level. “The last thing I would say about this is that this is, it’s frustrating to so many college athletes and people who are in college sports because there are so many college women’s programs and so many sports that are being cut right now and when you have this overly sexualized ad it’s really taking away from what these women are doing,” she said.
The segment drew significant attention online, reflecting a broader ongoing debate about how women’s sports are marketed and portrayed in media. Whether the backlash affects Novig’s campaign or prompts a wider industry conversation about advertising standards in women’s athletics remains to be seen.
