As Sydney Sweeney sports ad faces massive backlash, Allyson Felix’s Nike split and how she launched her own shoe brand Saysh resurfaces

US actor Sydney Sweeney is facing a backlash for appearing in a controversial advert for a sports prediction company. Sweeney appeared for a viral commercial for Novig in which her nude body is covered by footballs, basketballs, and other sports equipment, as she tells users they can bet on “just sports”. The ad has been viewed more than 22 million times in the first two days of its release, prompting criticism from female athelets.

Amid this, story of track and field star Allyson Felix who launched her own shoe business after breaking up with Nike in 2019 is once again doing the rounds on social media with users commenting "This is what women in sports looks like, watch and learn."

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When Allyson Felix broke up with Nike in 2019 after she said the company wanted to pay her 70% less following her pregnancy. She has since been invested in raising awareness around health-care inequities facing Black mothers.

Felix left her longtime partnership with Nike after a dispute over the company's lack of maternity protections following the birth of her daughter in November of 2018. Because of that, Felix decided not to re-sign with Nike a year later. She eventually signed with Gap's Athleta brand, before branching out on her own brand. What she did next changed tables for her- co-founded her own women's footwear brand: Saysh. The story of Fellix is viral when female athletes are calling out Sydney Sweeney for sexualisation of women in sport, and how they are being defined by their appearance rather than their achievements as sportswomen.

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"No woman should have to choose between being a professional and being a Mother. Now, because of that fight, sponsorship contracts look different for a lot of athletes," Felix wrote in her Instagram post. "During my pregnancy, I had complications. And I realized I needed to use my voice to bring awareness to another injustice: a racial injustice in our healthcase system. I spoke to the United States Congress about my experience — and I continue to use my words for change."

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When Allyson Felix wore her own shoes at the Tokyo Olympics

In a post on her Instagram account, Felix announced that her shoe brand will be called Saysh, which "represents hope, acceptance, and the power to create change, according to CBS Sports. The Saysh One sneaker was sold for $150.

"When you see me run, know that I'm not running for medals. I'm running for change," Felix, who has won six Olympic gold medals, wrote on Instagram. "I'm running for greater equity for each of us. I'm running for women. More than anything, I'm running toward a future where no woman or girl is ever told to know her place."

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At the Tokyo Olympics, Allyson Felix made history in shoes from Saysh, the brand she co-founded. She won her 10th Olympic medal with a bronze in the 400m and her 11th with gold in the 4×400m relay, surpassing Carl Lewis to become the most decorated American track and field Olympian in history.

In August 2019, Nike introduced a new maternity policy that guaranteed athlete pay and bonuses for up to 18 months around an athlete’s pregnancy. Asics also told FOS in March that it honors athletes’ full contracts through pregnancy.

People are recalling Allyson Felix's story amid Sydney Sweeney controversy

Amid the ongoing Sydney Sweeney controversy, a post is going viral on Instagram which heaps praises on Felix's courage and how she chose to represent women in sports. "Now this is a commercial for women athletes / women’s sports. Beautiful," a comment read. "Baddie!! That’s what’s up!," commented another.

Actor Sydney Sweeney has been condemned by leading women athletes for a sports betting advert in which the American appears in various states of undress. She has been accused of sexualising women's sport after posing with sports equipment in the commercial for US company Novig, which allows users to predict the outcome of sports matches. The 29-year-old has an equity stake in the firm. Many athletes have posted videos of themselves, grouped around the message "this is what sport looks like".

Sweeney has not commented in response but she took to social media to post a range of photos of other athletes posing naked or in limited clothing. She posted a series of ESPN covers featuring the likes of tennis star Serena Williams and MMA fighter and wrestler Ronda Rousey, alongside male athletes including NFL player Myles Garrett and basketball player Karl-Anthony Towns.