Sydney Sweeney's latest project did more than make headlines; it caused a stir across the world of sports. Specifically, the Novig 'Just Sports' ad drew immense pushback from female athletes across the sports landscape, which seemingly led to Sweeney even posting her own response on social media.
Now, Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky addressed the ad, stating that the company didn't intend to "portray female sports" and adding that Sweeney was "driving the visuals and messaging," as Front Office Sports revealed. Fortinsky also stated that he knew there were people who had feelings about Sweeney before the ad, and that those who "already hate her" would be "loud and vocal."
"As a company, we're hugely supportive of women's sports. I think it's a huge component
of our platform," Fortinsky said. "You know, I think we never intended to portray female sports. Sydney's an actress, the biggest movie star in the world. We're a prediction market that is focused on sports, and that is the story that she was communicating. It was really. It was a very exciting process to work with her, both on the commercial side as well as on the creative side. It really was Sydney who was driving the visuals and the messaging."
"So, you know, I think that's really, you know, our perspective on that," Fortinsky continued. "I think there are a lot of people who have feelings about Sydney as a person that sort of predate this campaign. And so working with her, you know, obviously expected the people who already hate her would, you know, be sort of loud and vocal. But ultimately, I think she did a great job at sort of conveying the essence of our company, and, you know, we've been very happy with how positive the feedback has been overall."
Sydney Sweeney's nude ad for Novig has drawn big backlash for sexualizing women with sports.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 15, 2026
Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky says her ad wasn't meant to portray women's sports—just the essence of Novig's focus on sports. pic.twitter.com/dMspLzm25R
The comments from Fortinsky are interesting, especially since he credits Sweeney with driving much of the process throughout the campaign, something the Euphoria actress previously noted as well. In short, Fortinsky highlights the view that the company's ad focused more on what Novig does as a whole, while also touching on what has fueled the broader range of pushback from critics.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Novig CEO defends Sydney Sweeney ad, knew people who 'hate her' would be 'loud'
