Ahead of the NFL’s kickoff, prediction markets went all in with an ad blitz featuring mega-stars like LeBron James and Derek Jeter, and the internet is absolutely losing it. James’ post about the Polymarket ad alone raked in a mind-blowing 15.6 million views as of Wednesday afternoon, but trust me, not all that attention was good. Even with the NFL staying firm on its opposition to partnering with these markets, these platforms are pushing hard to capitalize on the start of the season, and it’s creating some serious drama.
Celebrity Power Meets Fan Fury
Polymarket dropped an ad campaign that brought out the big guns: LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Richard Sherman, Sue Bird, Spike Lee, Reggie Bush, and Rajon Rondo. LeBron teased it over the weekend, and the full ad hit on Tuesday. But here’s the kicker: posts from James, Jeter, and Manning about the ad got a pretty negative response. Brett Dashevsky, from social media analysis company Siftsy, straight up said there’s “Lots of backlash around the gambling tie-in, ‘sellout’ comments and people questioning why athletes this wealthy and influential are promoting it.” With James’s 55 million followers on X/Twitter dwarfing Jeremy Piven’s 1.9 million, that kind of negative attention spreads like wildfire.
Entourage Reunion Sparks Real-Life Drama
Jake Paul’s Betr, pushing their new “super app,” went for nostalgia, reuniting Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier to channel their “Entourage” vibe. Piven’s social media post about finding his “boy” went viral with 4.7 million views. You’d think that’s a win, right? Nope. “Entourage” creator Doug Ellin went ballistic, writing, “I think it’s pretty damn obvious I didn’t write it. My god.” He followed up with “I have zero positivity” watching the ad, calling it “trash and theft. Period.” Betr, however, is spinning it hard, telling Front Office Sports they were “excited to bring Jeremy and Adrian back together, appearing as themselves” and claiming an “overwhelmingly positive” reception, generating “nearly 10 million organic social views.” Talk about two totally different takes on the same ad!
Sydney Sweeney’s Bold Move and What It All Means
Then there’s Novig, with what might be the boldest commercial of the lot. Equity partner Sydney Sweeney appears naked, using basketballs and footballs to cover herself in a racy ad. It definitely got people talking. This whole ad blitz is a direct shot from the prediction market playbook, designed to grab eyeballs, even if that attention is often negative. With the NFL season just kicking off, it’s clear these prediction market platforms aren’t backing down. The real question is whether this kind of attention, good or bad, actually translates into more users, or if the backlash keeps building. Either way, this ad war is far from over.
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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