Palmateer: the ad is "hypersexualized content," not what sport looks like
Felicity PalmateerProfessional big-wave surfer; WSL commentator
Australian big-wave surfer Felicity Palmateer called the Novig ad "very damaging" for young women in sport, posting on Instagram that it was "hypersexualized content designed to sell a gambling app," not what sport looks like.
“Don't know what Sydney thinks sport looks like, but THIS is what sport looks like... not hypersexualized content designed to sell a gambling app.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Sydney Sweeney’s Novig "Just Sports" ad draws backlash over sexualizing women’s sport
Novig, a U.S. sports prediction market in which Sydney Sweeney is a strategic partner and equity holder, released a "Just Sports" ad campaign on September 9, 2026, in which Sweeney appears nude or minimally clothed while covering herself with sports equipment. The ad drew public criticism from a number of female athletes, who said it sexualizes women’s sport; Novig’s CEO and at least one columnist publicly disputed that characterization.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
CNN report and Felicity Palmateer's own Instagram post condemning the Novig ad.
Before the quotation
CNN interview and Instagram post.
After the quotation
No further public follow-up had been reported as of this writing.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Palmateer directly condemns the ad as hypersexualized content misrepresenting what sport looks like, calling it damaging for young women in sport.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Sydney Sweeney, Novig
More from this case
Read the full caseJones and co-authors criticize sexualization and gambling appeals in Novig's ad
“The ad captures two troubling trends: how routinely women’s bodies are sexualized in digital media and how gambling companies use sexual appeal, and the implied promise of romantic or sexual reward, to target young men.”Read statement
Fortinsky renews his defense of Novig's Sweeney ad
“Ultimately, I think we have nothing to apologize for and are very proud of the work that we did,”Read statement
Calkins defends the ad as sex-appeal marketing
“It was an ad that used sex appeal to catch the eye of a mostly-male market — not a "kick in the face" to female athletes, as four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Ariarne Titmus suggested.”Read statement
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- Palmateer: the ad is "hypersexualized content," not what sport looks like
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The Dispute Index. "Palmateer: the ad is "hypersexualized content," not what sport looks like". First published: 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/898-australian-big-wave-surfer-felicity-palmateer-called-the