After a highly controversial Sydney Sweeney advertisement for prediction market company Novig, university female athletics coaches strongly oppose the advert’s sexualization of women in sports.
In the advert, Sweeney appears nude, covered only by footballs and other minimal sports gear while repeating “sports.”
Maddie Wentz, the head coach of the university’s volleyball team, feels that a female athlete is someone who’s strong.
“Being strong. Like that’s my number one thing. Like strong is beautiful, and like being half naked is not beautiful,” Wentz said. “There’s a difference in the beauty standard and being able to lift heavy weight and persevere through hard challenges and jump for two hours in the middle of a game.”
Maria Ellison, an assistant coach for the volleyball team, agrees with most female athletes; she knows that being a female athlete is about the work you put in and the performance you end with.
“It’s just there’s so much more, especially on the female side of things, like it’s just come a long way in female athletics in general, and it is about more than just looks.”
Erin Simko, an assistant coach for the track and field program, said the ad is not an accurate representation of the hard work that goes into being an athlete.
“As an athlete, I can’t necessarily say that I can relate to that,” Simko said. “My day to day does not necessarily look like what was represented in this ad and commercial. A lot more hard work and grit and a lot more athleticism goes into it.”
It is a combined consensus from woman all over that female athletes are more than just looks and sexualization. It is not just about your appearance but so much more.
This advertisement was not only shown on YouTube but on YouTube Kids as well. Women athletes everywhere are infuriated by this sexualization of the idea of a female athlete and feel that this is a setback from everything they have worked for.
Kara Concheck, the head coach of the women’s lacrosse team, is a former Division I athlete and now a coach and mother of two, while still being an athlete and has many feelings about this.
“I have a two-year-old … and a five-month-old — which, you know, we don’t do a lot of screen time in general because of these reasons,” Concheck said. “It can be unpredictable, no matter how many filters you put on. I don’t want my sons to grow up and to think that women are just objects.”
Coming from a strong athletic background, Concheck said she consistently trains to be able to keep up with her kids and maintain good physical health.
“I am really proud of the things my body is capable of [doing] from playing Division I college lacrosse, to being one of the top CrossFit athletes in the nation, and then birthing two babies,” Concheck said.
“It’s disappointing to see stuff like [the ad] when [women in sports have] come such a long way, and we’ve made such great strides in our space.”
Anna Kirk, the head coach of the women’s softball team, balances her duties as a coach with taking care of two kids.
“I have a boy and a girl, and for them to see this on YouTube Kids — I would probably unsubscribe immediately because that’s not what needs to be shown,” she said.
“My grandma always told me that we have to keep our hair out of our face and show a smile because that’s what people are gonna fall in love with,” Kirk said.
“They’re gonna fall in love with your smile, your face, your confidence that you put out, not just the sexualized imagery that comes from you.”
