Sydney Sweeney strips down for sports ad and internet needs a timeout

Actor Sydney Sweeney bared it all for a cheeky sports betting ad - and, predictably, the internet had thoughts. The racy campaign has viewers split, with some loving the gag-filled pitch while others are less than impressed.Sydney Sweeney’s cheeky sports ad leaves the internet divided (Photo: Reuters)Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney has once again found herself at the centre of an internet storm – this time with a sports advert that leaves very little to the imagination. The Euphoria star strips down for a playful campaign for a sports betting app, using everything from footballs and shoulder pads to goalie gloves to cover herself as she rattles off sporting references. And, naturally, the internet has plenty to say about it.The advert, released on Wednesday, opens with Sweeney looking straight into the camera and saying, “Think you know sports? Prove it.” She then explains that the campaign is all about “just sports”.What follows is considerably more than just sports.As the camera pulls back, Sweeney appears nude while straddling a basketball hoop, casually spinning a ball on her finger. She then moves through a series of sporting set-ups, appearing topless while playing tennis, hockey and golf, as she delivers a rapid-fire string of “sports, sports, sports”. The campaign eventually lands on its central message: “No betting on wars or deaths, and no politics.” Sweeney delivers the line while balancing a football on a pair of cleats.How is the Internet reacting to it?It did not take long for the advert to become an online talking point. Within 12 hours, it had clocked up around 72,000 views on YouTube and more than three million on X. The reactions, however, were anything but unanimous. Some users simply enjoyed the spectacle. One called it a case of Sweeney “giving the people exactly what they want”, while another praised the campaign as clever marketing, arguing that although she is not an athlete, she has somehow become “one of the biggest attractions in American sports”.Meanwhile, a section of Reddit admitted it was “sick” of seeing Sweeney bare it all in ad after ad lately.Others were considerably less impressed.“Every generation needs tacky celebrities,” one user quipped. Another admitted they did not quite understand why Sweeney seemed to bother people, pointing out that she was hardly difficult to avoid.Then came the questions. One user appeared particularly puzzled by the combination of Sweeney, football and nudity, asking why she was “naked & saying something about football”. Another post took aim at her film choices and performances instead, proving that, on the internet, one advert can apparently open several arguments at once.Interestingly, the full campaign did not appear on Instagram or TikTok, while the entire clip made its way across YouTube and X, where the conversation continued to gather steam.Sydney Sweeney opens up on the adSweeney, meanwhile, seems to have been far more involved in the campaign than simply lending her famous face to it. Speaking to Complex, she described the concept as “a very simple and playful idea” and revealed that she had an active role in shaping the advert. “I don’t like to just put my face on something,” she said.The actor is also an equity partner in the sports betting app, giving her a rather more personal stake in the campaign than the average celebrity endorsement.And Sweeney does have some sporting credentials of her own. She told Complex that she played football and softball while growing up, was part of a ski team and also trained in MMA. At 12, she even had ambitions of making it to the X Games as a wakeboarder, although, as she put it, “that didn’t happen”.Her sporting interests have also evolved. These days, Sweeney says she particularly enjoys watching hockey and boxing, with the latter gaining a special place after she played boxer Christy Martin in the 2025 biopic Christy. “I have a really huge appreciation for every single fighter,” she said.Whether viewers find the advert cheeky, clever, excessive or simply baffling, one thing is clear: Sweeney has once again managed to get people talking.- EndsPublished On: Sep 10, 2026 12:37 IST