Sophie Cunningham, who guards for Fever, discussed her thoughts on Sydney Sweeney posing nude for a gambling ad by Novig during the "No Hesitation" podcast. Cunningham expressed both surprise at the authenticity of Sweeney’s involvement and support for her career choice while questioning the morality of using nudity to attract male sports gamblers. She also addressed concerns raised by other female athletes about the ad objectifying women in sports, emphasizing that it shouldn’t detract from women's achievements in athletics.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Female athletes criticized Sydney Sweeney's ad for Novig, which featured her posing nude with sports equipment. British sprinter Amy Hunt addressed the ad after finishing fourth in the 200 meters at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest, saying "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like: muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears." Four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Ariarne Titmus wrote on Instagram that she was infuriated by the ad. Former U.S. gymnast Gracie Kramer said she had spent her life competing in a sport where female athletes are oversexualized and reduced to their bodies. The ads sparked widespread backlash from female athletes who claimed it sexualizes women in sports, with some posting images of nude athletes training hard as role models for young people and highlighting the importance of focusing on what an athlete's body can do rather than its appearance. Sweeney later shared photos of nude athletes on her Instagram Stories, including Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey, without addressing the criticism directly.
Written for “Sydney Sweeney Ad Backlash” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 22 other(s) covering the same event.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said she was inundated with messages asking her to weigh in on the controversial Novig ad featuring Sydney Sweeney, who posed nude for the sports gambling company.
asserted
who → say → company
During Thursday’s installment of the “No Hesitation” podcast, Cunningham explained that she wasn’t surprised about Sweeney’s role in the ad for the sports prediction market because it’s targeting male sports gamblers.
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it → explain → gamblers
“I have so many takes.
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I → have → takes
But first of all, does she even gamble on sports?
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she → gamble → sports
It’s so unauthentic,” Cunningham began.
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Cunningham → ’ → ?
“Am I surprised how she represented the brand?
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she → represent → brand
That’s what she made her whole career off.
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she → ’ → career
Don’t get me wrong, I like her.
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I → get → her
“She sticks to her guns, and she does her thing and she’s her.
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she → stick → thing
Do I like it?
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I → like → it
I think it’s like, what are we doing?
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we → think → what
But again, I’m not surprised.
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I → ’m → ?
That’s what she’s known for.
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she → ’ → what
She’s making her money.
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She → make → money
That is literally what she does.
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she → do → what
Of course, that’s going to draw attention.
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that → go → attention
Again, do I agree with it?
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I → agree → it
Morally, I think it’s kind of weird, but each to their own.
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it → think → own
Cunningham explained that she didn’t believe the Novig ad was an attack on women in sports.
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ad → explain → sports
“At the end of the day, I’m really loving seeing all these girls who are powerful, strong, showing young girls what it looks like to be an athlete,” she said.
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she → love → what
“I don’t think the ad was coming for women in sport.
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ad → think → sport
“… I just want girls to know, don’t shrink.
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girls → want → ?
Don’t shrink to make other people feel better about themselves when you’re born to stick out.
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you → shrink → themselves
I will say though, I can understand when you first see that ad that like it could kind of deflate women, because it’s like we’ve worked so hard to get a little bit of respect around here.
uncertain
we → say → respect
But then when you really think about it, it’s like, screw it, let that girl do her thing.
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girl → think → thing
This has nothing to do with us.”
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This → have → us
Cunningham recalled meeting Sweeney at a NASCAR event last year.
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Cunningham → recall → event
“I spent like five minutes with her.
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I → spend → her
I met her, but do I know her?
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I → meet → her
No,” she said.
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she → say → ?
Sweeney is fully nude with her body being covered by sports parafernalia in the ad, entitled, “Novig is Just Sports.”
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Novig → cover → ad
Many female athletes, such as Olympic swimmer Ararne Titumus and sprinter Amy Hunt, called out Novig and Sweeney for sexualizing women and setting back the progress women in sports have made.
Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky said they had no intention of portraying women’s sports in the ad.
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they → call → ad
“Sydney’s an actress,” Fortinsky told Front Office Sports.
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Fortinsky → ’ → Sports
“We’re a prediction market that is focused on sports, and that was the story she was communicating.”
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she → ’re → sports
The Aporia
