Sydney Sweeney advert controversy: “Repeatedly presenting women through sexualised imagery reinforces the message that their bodies are more commercially valuable than their sporting competence”

US actor Sydney Sweeney has faced widespread criticism from female athletes over her appearance in a controversial advert for a sports betting company. Critics have claimed the advert sexualises women’s sport with Sweeney’s nude body covered by basketballs, footballs, and other sports equipment. Professor Leanne Norman, Director of the Loughborough University Flagship Institute for Women in Sport, explains how this campaign feels like a return to an outdated way of representing women.