Sports betting, golf and women’s bodies
When women’s sports are finally thriving, why are ads still stuck in the past?
Recent controversies, including Sydney Sweeney’s nearly nude Novig ad and a Callaway Golf video showing a woman being shoved to the ground, sparked frustration among women athletes and advocates. These ads show how brands prioritize shock value over representation, even as women athletes push for equity, visibility and respect.
In Novig’s ad, Sweeney is featured with various sports equipment– such as footballs barely covering her breasts or sitting naked on a basketball hoop as she repeats the word “sports” over and over, almost like a taunt. There’s even a shot of her on a pool table, which isn’t a category Novig users can bet on, where she states that she “just looks good”. It’s her first public collaboration as a stakeholder with the company.
Coincidentally, the Novig video wasn’t the first advertisement to spark outrage this fall. Callaway Golf began a massive debate about marketing women's violence a couple of weeks earlier.
In collaboration with Good Good Golf, Callaway released a marketing video for their new driver, sparked a different but equally troubling backlash. The video shows a woman being shoved to the ground for touching a man’s golf club, presenting violence against women as comedy. Under the video, most supportive comments came from men who framed it as a simple joke, while women users criticized it for promoting aggression.
Gloria Lucas, a business management student and Toronto Metropolitan University soccer player, said the advertisements were a step back from supporting women’s sports.
“We’ve definitely moved forward in terms of women’s sports and the fact that it’s not just about our appearance and our bodies. The sexualization of women’s bodies in sports is definitely a problem that should be addressed,” says Lucas.
Her teammate Alex Tanzola agrees, adding that positive reinforcement and supportive environments promote healthier role modelling for young girls.
“Women deserve to be in sport, and they’re good enough to be there,” says Tanzola.
Feminist sports media research shows that women athletes have been consistently sexualized or trivialized in coverage, while men are framed as serious competitors. Historically, sports are a core pillar of masculinity. When sexual or violent ads use women’s bodies as props or punchlines, they tap into the idea that women in sport exist to be looked at, mocked or controlled.
Erin Richards, founder of Toronto-based sports marketing agency Hype PR, says the two ads may seem similar because they both involve women, but they rely on very different forms of harm.
“I think it’s important to call out the distinctions between the two [advertisements]. The Novig situation is more about objectification and using that for attention. In my opinion, the Callaway example is about violence,” said Richards.
She adds that both campaigns depend on shock value as “a shortcut to attention” when the product itself can not sell itself. The tactic is common in crowded, male-dominated markets like betting apps and golf equipment.
“The fact that it’s still working shows that the target demographic is not women,” says Richards.
According to Richards, the advertisement likely resulted from an approval process dominated by men, with no one present to flag the harmful messaging. She believes that brands need to rethink their creative approach entirely.
Several companies have already shown that directly investing in women athletes is both possible and profitable. Nike’s women-focused content has generated higher engagement among women aged 18 to 34, and Lululemon reported increased brand affinity during the 2022 Winter Olympics after spotlighting Canadian women athletes.
“Just growing up, playing soccer, we always looked up to Christine Sinclair and all of our Canadian players… And I think it’s so important to have positive role models that actually show you what it is to be a female athlete rather than having a celebrity promote sports in a derogatory way,” says Lucas.
Advocates argue the issue extends beyond tone-deaf marketing. When women appear only as comedic targets, it creates what sociologists call Symbolic Annihilation, a term to describe how media trivializes, ignores and undermines marginalized groups.
In sports, symbolic annihilation happens when women are shown not as athletes but as jokes, props or punchlines. It shapes public perception of their legitimacy in sports spaces. For women athletes who already face disparities in pay, coverage and sponsorships, these setups can dismiss their efforts to be taken seriously.
For Good Good Golf, their partnership with Callaway was terminated. The Toronto Star reported Good Good also lost a PGA Tour title partnership, and several retailers removed their merchandise. While these repercussions may seem appropriate, there’s still a larger debate about sexist and harmful advertising. As women athletes continue to push for equity and respect, the least the sports betting and golf industries could do is show accurate representation.
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