Sydney Sweeney Went Wakeboarding. 'Attackers' Told To Apologise.

The athletes who called Sydney Sweeney's Novig ad an insult to women's sports were still making their case this week ... when she posted a wakeboarding video from Queensland and the local newspaper told her critics to say sorry. Per Yahoo Entertainment, the footage shows her being pulled behind a speedboat, balancing on a wakeboard across a stretch of open water, part of a summer photo dump that also included camping and scuba diving.

The video was originally posted by her boyfriend Scooter Braun. ARY News reported the couple flew from the Gold Coast to Toowoomba aboard a private jet, arriving at Wellcamp Airport hand in hand. Sweeney had spent much of 2026 in Australia filming the Netflix live-action Gundam film, which wrapped in August.

What the critics actually argued

When the Novig ad dropped on September 9, some of the sharpest criticism came from Australian athletes. Swimmer Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, wrote that she was "infuriated" and could not describe "how we live in a world where monetizing a woman's body and sexualizing women's sport is still a thing." British sprinter Amy Hunt put it more bluntly: per NBC News, she posted a direct message to Sweeney: "This is what women in sport look like. Muscles, hard work, sweat."

The subtext of that criticism was clear. It was not just that the ad used nudity. It was that Sweeney, specifically, had no right to appear in a sports context because she is not a credentialed athlete. The ad was framed as an insult because she was framed as a fraud.

She did not argue the point

Sweeney's response was not a counterargument. She reposted archival ESPN Body Issue photos of professional athletes who had posed nude, among them Serena Williams and Sue Bird, and said nothing further. Then she flew to Queensland.

The Toowoomba Chronicle, covering her Wellcamp Airport arrival, ran a separate piece under the headline: "Sydney Sweeney's attackers told to apologise after impressive wakeboarding post." It is not a formal retraction from Titmus or Hunt. But it captures the turn the commentary has taken. HollywoodInToto titled its read simply: "We All Owe Sydney Sweeney an Apology."

Hyde's take: they wanted shame, not answers

The most thorough framing came from Marina Hyde, writing in the Guardian and syndicated to the Irish Examiner. Hyde's argument was not that the ad was good. It was that every reporter and commentator who entered the controversy wanted a single thing from Sweeney: "Every single reporter will just really want her to express shame and/or personal growth." Sweeney has expressed neither.

Hyde also quoted Sweeney on the industry's support-in-theory, silence-in-practice dynamic: "This entire industry ... women say is 'women empowering other women.' None of it's happening." That line landed because the backlash came largely from people who positioned themselves as Sweeney's defenders, and then spent three weeks demanding she account for her choices.

The wrong question, the wrong fight

The Novig ad was not an athletic audition. It used Sweeney's brand, her visibility, and a provocative format to sell a sports prediction platform. Whether she can do a clean carve on a wakeboard was never the point. But it became the point her critics chose to make. And she made it look very easy to answer.

The formal apologies from the athletes who went public have not materialized. Probably they will not. But the discourse has shifted, the commentary has turned, and Sweeney is wakeboarding in Queensland. The outrage machine ran its cycle. She outlasted it.

Ad Watch News is an independent commentary site with no affiliation with Sydney Sweeney, Novig, Scooter Braun, or any party named here. This piece draws on published sources listed below.

At a glance

Novig ad launch: Released September 9, 2026, under the tagline "Just Sports." Sweeney appears as a strategic partner and equity holder in the company.
Titmus quote: "I can't describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this." (Per multiple outlets, Sept 2026)
Hunt quote: "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. Muscles, hard work, sweat." (NBC News, Sept 2026)
Gundam production: Sweeney starred in Netflix's live-action Gundam film, shot in Queensland, Australia across 2026. Production wrapped August 2026.
Hyde on shame: "Every single reporter will just really want her to express shame and/or personal growth." Marina Hyde, the Guardian, Sept 15, 2026.
Sweeney on industry: "This entire industry...women say is 'women empowering other women.' None of it's happening." (Per Marina Hyde / Guardian, Sept 2026)

Sydney Sweeney Went Wakeboarding. 'Attackers' Told To Apologise.

What the critics actually argued

She did not argue the point

Hyde's take: they wanted shame, not answers

The wrong question, the wrong fight

At a glance

Sources & further reading

Ariana Grande Won 2 VMAs From Her Couch. 'Thank You' Was Enough.

Grill'd Workers Killed the 'Buns' Ad. The Apology Never Came.

Good Good Got Fired. Novig Got Paid. The Outrage Economy Has Rules.