That whole Sydney Sweeney Novig sports betting ad controversy? Yeah, it cranked up a notch this week when Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly Stafford, dove headfirst into the discussion with her take.
The Ad, The Outcry, and Kelly’s Powerful Message
Sweeney, known for her work in *Euphoria*, went viral herself after appearing partially nude in the Novig ad, covered only by sports equipment. This immediately sparked outrage, with many women in sports feeling it was a clear sexualization of their careers. Stafford, a mother of four girls, took to Instagram to repost influencer Daniel Hong’s message, which argues that young girls need to understand the critical difference between “attention and value.” Hong, a father of two, stated, “Appearance can get you attention: likes, comments, followers, money, opportunities. All of that is very real. What I want them to understand is that attention and value are not the same thing.” Stafford’s immediate, emphatic agreement? “THIS THIS THIS THIS.”
The Company Responds and Athletes Push Back
Stafford isn’t alone in speaking up. Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus slammed the campaign as “a kick in the face” to women dedicated to improving and moving sports forward. Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky, speaking at a panel on Tuesday, claimed Sweeney was “driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging” behind the ads. He called it “a very exciting process to work with her both on the commercial side as well as on the creative side.” Fortinsky also stated Novig is “hugely supportive of women’s sports” and they “never intended to portray female sports,” adding that “Sydney’s an actress, the biggest movie star in the world.” Sweeney herself hasn’t directly addressed the ad’s controversy, but she did post and repost semi-nude female athletes from ESPN’s “The Body” issue on her Instagram Story.
This whole situation shows how much the conversation around women in sports and advertising is evolving right now. Will Novig or Sweeney address these public concerns directly? The ball’s totally in their court.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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