Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky has responded to the backlash surrounding a provocative advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. The ad, which has ignited a cultural debate, has drawn criticism from top female athletes who argue it sexualizes women in sports and misrepresents them.
Fortinsky, speaking to Front Office Sports, rejected the criticism, asserting that the premise of the commercial has been misunderstood. "As a company, we're hugely supportive of women's sports," he stated. "We never intended to portray female sports. Sydney's an actress. We're a prediction market that is focused on sports, and that was the story she was communicating."
He further distanced the company from the controversy, suggesting that Sweeney herself was "driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging" in the one-minute clip. The advertisement depicts Sweeney nude, with sporting equipment such as basketballs and footballs used to cover her.
British sprinter Amy Hunt was among the prominent athletes to speak out against the advert. Hunt expressed concern that such imagery could deter young girls from participating in sports. "When we're trying to provide role models for young people and young women in sport, we really want to show that it's about what your body can do, not so much what it looks like," Hunt said during a post-race interview and later on Good Morning Britain. "When we see the stats that 64 per cent of young girls drop out of exercise and sport before they reach the age of 16, we don't need to place any kind of barrier whatsoever in their way... It's about empowering young girls and young women and young people to show that you really can just get out there and you don't have to worry what you look like. You don't have to worry about what you're wearing."
Sweeney herself has reportedly lost over 200,000 Instagram followers in the wake of the ad. She previously commented on the campaign, describing it as "about embracing a fun idea."
This is not the first time an advertising campaign involving Sweeney has generated significant controversy. Last year, she appeared in an American Eagle jeans commercial with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." Critics accused the brand of promoting eugenics with the wordplay, a claim American Eagle defended by stating the campaign was "always about the jeans – her jeans, her story." The fallout from that campaign was significant enough to attract attention from the White House, with then-President Donald Trump showing his support for Sweeney and the brand.