WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has defended Sydney Sweeney amid backlash over her controversial naked sports betting ad, asking: “Why are girls mad?”
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has come to Sydney Sweeney’s defense as criticism continues to grow over the actress’s controversial new sports betting advertisement.
Sweeney has faced a wave of backlash following the release of a new commercial for sports betting company Novig, in which the actress appears completely naked while using sports equipment to strategically cover herself.
The advertisement quickly went viral online, generating intense debate about the way women are portrayed in sports-related advertising. Some female athletes have criticized the campaign, arguing that it sends the wrong message about women and athleticism.
But Cunningham has questioned why the advertisement has sparked so much anger among women.
Speaking on her new podcast, No Hesitation, the WNBA player said she was confused by the criticism directed at Sweeney and suggested that the controversy was partly predictable given the nature of the campaign.
“Why are girls mad?” Cunningham asked during the discussion.
“That is literally what she does. Why is anyone mad? It is a gambling ad: men, sports, naked women. Of course that’s going to draw attention.”
Cunningham made clear that she did not necessarily endorse every aspect of the commercial, admitting that she personally found the concept somewhat uncomfortable.
“Do I agree with it? Morally, I think it’s kind of weird, but each to their own. Go do your thing, sis,” she said.
Her comments come as the Novig advertisement continues to attract attention across social media and the sports world.
Sophie Cunningham Has History With Sydney Sweeney
Cunningham’s comments are particularly notable because she already has a connection with Sweeney.
The basketball star previously went viral after meeting the actress at a NASCAR event.
Cunningham shared a photo of the two together and jokingly captioned the post: “One of us forgot our t*ts at home.”
That playful interaction helped fuel interest in the relationship between the two celebrities, although Cunningham’s latest comments focus more directly on the controversy surrounding Sweeney’s advertising work.
Sweeney has become no stranger to provocative and highly discussed advertising campaigns.
Earlier, the Euphoria actress was at the center of another major online debate following her American Eagle jeans campaign.
The phrase “Sydney Sweeney has good jeans” became a major talking point, with some critics arguing that the wording carried associations with eugenics and white supremacist ideas.
Others focused on what they described as the sexualization of Sweeney in the campaign.
The Novig advertisement has now sparked another debate about celebrity advertising, women’s representation and the relationship between sports, sexuality and commercial marketing.
Novig CEO Says Sweeney Helped Drive Creative Direction
The controversy surrounding the campaign grew further after Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky revealed that Sweeney was involved in the creative process behind the advertisement.
Speaking to Front Office Sports, Fortinsky described working with Sweeney as an exciting process and said the actress played a significant role in developing the commercial’s visuals and messaging.
“It was a very exciting process to work with her both on the commercial side as well as on the creative side,” Fortinsky said.
“It really was Sydney who was driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging.”
That revelation has added another layer to the debate because Sweeney was not simply presented as the face of the advertisement. According to Fortinsky, she was also closely involved in shaping its creative direction.
Female Athletes Push Back Against the Campaign
Among the most prominent critics of the advertisement has been British Olympic sprinter Amy Hunt.
Hunt previously used a post-race television interview to make a statement about how women should be represented in sport.
“This is what women in sport look like,” Hunt said.
She later expanded on her position during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, emphasizing the importance of showing young women that athletic ability should not be reduced to physical appearance.
“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.
Her criticism reflects a broader discussion within women’s sports about body image and representation.
Cunningham, however, offered a more nuanced response.
While she defended Sweeney and said she did not believe the advertisement was attacking women in sports, she also praised the athletes who used the controversy as an opportunity to celebrate different types of female bodies.
Cunningham Encourages Women Athletes to Embrace Their Strength
Cunningham said she has enjoyed seeing female athletes publicly embrace their physical strength and differences.
“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 actually be an athlete,” she said during the podcast.
She pointed to physical characteristics that can sometimes make female athletes feel different from conventional beauty standards.
“I don’t think the ad was coming for women in sport,” Cunningham said.
“But I will say… I think it has been so cool to see girls who, you know what? They’re muscly, their thighs touch, they have broad shoulders.”
She also spoke about being taller than many of her peers while growing up and explained how her family encouraged her not to make herself smaller simply to fit in.
Cunningham said her mother is 5 feet 11 inches tall, while her aunt is between 6 feet 2 inches and 6 feet 3 inches.
She recalled family members encouraging her to stand tall rather than shrink herself in photographs.
“Your strength, your athletic ability, how tall you are. God made you that way for a reason, and so you better use it,” she said.
Her message to young women was direct: “Don’t shrink to make other people feel better about themselves.”
The comments illustrate the divide surrounding Sweeney’s Novig advertisement. While critics have questioned whether the commercial appropriately represents women and female athletes, Cunningham sees the controversy differently and has defended Sweeney’s right to participate in a provocative campaign.
At the same time, Cunningham said the response from female athletes has created an opportunity to celebrate the strength, size and physical differences that come with being an athlete.
As the debate surrounding Sweeney, Novig and the portrayal of women in sports advertising continues, the commercial has become another example of how celebrity marketing can quickly develop into a much wider cultural conversation.