WNBA guard Sophie Cunningham is pushing back on the backlash over Sydney Sweeney’s nude sports-betting ad, asking why female athletes are treating a gambling campaign as an attack on women’s sports.
In doing so, the Indiana Fever star continues her trend of pointing out the obvious. She also did something more useful than a simple clapback — she provided an in-depth analysis, admitting she doesn’t love the ad, calling it inauthentic, but still refusing to treat it as a crime against women’s sports.
For those living under a rock, Sweeney caused feminists to start figuratively burning their bras by committing the sin of being an attractive woman selling a product to a largely young male demographic. The "Euphoria" star appeared nearly nude in a new ad for the sports prediction platform Novig.
“Think you know sports?” the sultry blonde asks. “Prove it.”
Nowhere in the ad does she claim to represent female athletes. But for some odd reason, critics rabidly accused the campaign of sexualizing women in sports.
Confirmed: Sydney Sweeney knows ball. pic.twitter.com/EXQ4PzVZsi
— Novig (@Novig) September 9, 2026
Granted, it's a cheap ploy to garner clicks and draw in the 18- to 34-year-old crowd advertisers most covet. In the sports prediction market, dominated by male participants (75 percent) and with heavy concentrations of young adults, it will do wonders.
Why the outrage over a smart marketing ploy? Well, Sophie, speaking on her "No Hesitation" podcast, would like to know the same thing.
"Why are girls mad?" Cunningham asked. "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."
Again, the WNBA enforcer opens her mouth and out pours the common sense and reason.
Cunningham, who has been open about her Christian faith in the past, said she may not necessarily agree with the approach, but people are free to do what they feel is right.
"Do I agree with it? Morally, I think it’s kind of weird, but each to their own," she said. "Go do your thing, sis."
Sophie Cunningham is confused at why people are mad at Sydney Sweeney for her revealing sports ad:
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) September 18, 2026
“Why are girls mad? That is literally what she does… Men, sports, naked women. Of course that’s gonna draw attention… Go do your thing sis.” pic.twitter.com/r8V4LYWsq4
In the end, Cunningham said she supports Sweeney and the female athletes who show young girls what it's like to be a strong, fearless competitor.
"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," she added. "But when you really think about it, it’s like, screw it, let that girl do her thing. This has nothing to do with us."
Sweeney fired back at the critics by pointing out how countless women in sports show off their bodies in the same manner to get attention, posting ESPN Body Issue covers of athletes including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, and Megan Rapinoe posing nude or nearly nude.
🔥 SYDNEY SWEENEY RESPONDS — The actress appears to be pushing back after a controversial sports-themed campaign triggered criticism from female athletes.
— XPRESS (@Xpress_24_7) September 14, 2026
Several prominent athletes accused the campaign of sexualizing women’s sports, responding with footage of themselves…
Cunningham has also shown off her good looks in the past. She appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition while her team once broke male fans' necks by promoting her pre-game “bombshell” outfits with a parody of "Love Island."
this week a hot new bombshell enters the villa pic.twitter.com/iNaeMPcjv2
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 27, 2024
"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," Cunningham concluded. "I don’t think the ad was coming for women in sports."
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