After a full week of athletes angry at Sydney Sweeney for seemingly setting women’s sports back decades with her nude betting ad, Sophie Cunningham has set the record straight. And, to the surprise of almost no one, the sanest player in the WNBA offered the most sensible version of this entire foolish experience. “Why are the girls angry?” Cunningham asked on his recently revamped “No Hesitation” podcast. “That’s literally what she does. Why is anyone angry? It’s a gambling ad: men, sports, naked women. Of course, that’s going to get attention.” Am I okay with that? Morally I think it’s a little weird, but to each their own. Go do your thing, sister.”SYDNEY SWEENEY SHOTS BACK AT TROLLS AFTER FACING ONLINE CRITICISM FOR PROVOCATIVE SPORTS AD Sydney Sweeney faced the wrath of online critics after posing in a provocative new sports betting campaign. (Carlo Paloni)Sophie Cunningham is back at it. Surprisingly, it’s another home run for Sophie Cunningham. She just doesn’t fails. What a career!Look, Cunningham is right. This is what Sweeney does. She likes to take her clothes off, in case you haven’t noticed. In fact, the entire ad campaign was her idea, according to Jacob Fortinsky, CEO of Novig. DOWNLOAD HER DAILY PODCAST NOW! Sweeney has received backlash online for ads showing her naked in strategically placed sports gear in Novig’s first national ad campaign (Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect). “It was really Sydney who drove a lot of the imagery and messaging,” she said during a panel earlier this week. I think it’s a huge component of our platform. We were never intended to portray women’s sports.” Right. This ad had nothing to do with women’s sports. It was about gambling. Isn’t everyone gambling these days? It seems so. Sweeney was addressing a very specific audience, as she and her new podcast partner, Drew Hanlen, pointed out. Drew, who couldn’t stop talking, estimated that about 75% of sports bettors are men. SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM ADDRESSES THE PERCEPTION THAT SHE IS THE ‘WNBAI SEX SYMBOL I think that’s way off the 90%, maybe 95%. Sydney Sweeney and honorary pace car driver Sophie Cunningham pose for photos at a drivers’ meeting before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, on Nov. 2, 2025. (Getty Images) Anyway, that’s what the ad was for, and it worked! “I see that ad that could deflate women, because it’s like we’ve worked so hard to get some respect around here,” Cunningham continued. “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. SUBSCRIBE TO OUTKICK’S DAILY NEWSLETTER “At the end of the day, I love seeing all these girls who are powerful, strong, showing young girls what it’s like to be an athlete. I don’t think the ad was for women in sports.” Another win for the WNBA’s sanest player. Zach Dean is a writer for OutKick.
