Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky: the ad "never intended to portray female sports"
Jacob FortinskyCo-founder and CEO, Novig
Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky said the campaign never intended to portray women’s sport and that Sweeney drove its creative direction.
“We never intended to portray female sports. Sydney’s an actress, the biggest movie star in the world. We’re a prediction market that is focused on sports, and that is the story that she was communicating... It really was Sydney who was driving the visuals and the messaging.”
Reporting
Other statements by Jacob Fortinsky in this case
- Fortinsky says Sweeney drove the ad's visuals and messagingSame day: Mixed or conditional
- Fortinsky renews his defense of Novig's Sweeney adLater: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Sydney Sweeney’s Novig "Just Sports" ad draws backlash over sexualizing women’s sport
Novig, a U.S. sports prediction market in which Sydney Sweeney is a strategic partner and equity holder, released a "Just Sports" ad campaign on September 9, 2026, in which Sweeney appears nude or minimally clothed while covering herself with sports equipment. The ad drew public criticism from a number of female athletes, who said it sexualizes women’s sport; Novig’s CEO and at least one columnist publicly disputed that characterization.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Report on Jacob Fortinsky’s Front Office Sports interview defending the ad after the backlash, syndicated from USA Today’s For The Win.
Before the quotation
Said in a Front Office Sports interview after the backlash had become widely reported.
After the quotation
The interview was also republished with additional excerpts by TODAY.com and Yahoo/USA Today’s For The Win, from the same underlying Front Office Sports conversation.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Fortinsky defends the campaign as never having intended to portray women’s sport and frames the backlash as expected and not a fair reading of the ad’s purpose — an express defense of the conduct under scrutiny.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseJones and co-authors criticize sexualization and gambling appeals in Novig's ad
“The ad captures two troubling trends: how routinely women’s bodies are sexualized in digital media and how gambling companies use sexual appeal, and the implied promise of romantic or sexual reward, to target young men.”Read statement
Calkins defends the ad as sex-appeal marketing
“It was an ad that used sex appeal to catch the eye of a mostly-male market — not a "kick in the face" to female athletes, as four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Ariarne Titmus suggested.”Read statement
Norton-Cruz says the ad harms both women and men
“So while sexist marketing like this is harmful to women and girls, it isn’t doing men any favors either.”Read statement
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- Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky: the ad "never intended to portray female sports"
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The Dispute Index. "Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky: the ad "never intended to portray female sports"". First published: 2026-09-16. Last updated: 2026-09-16. https://disputeindex.com/events/706-novig-ceo-jacob-fortinsky-said-the-campaign-never