Vespa defends Sweeney, calls the backlash jealousy
Matt VespaManaging editor, Townhall
Townhall managing editor Matt Vespa defended Sydney Sweeney's appearance in the Novig ad, writing "it's her body, her choice" and dismissing critics as jealous.
“It's her body, her choice... Is it me, or are women just jealous of Sweeney?”
Analysis
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
Analysis
About this source
Townhall op-ed by managing editor Matt Vespa defending Sweeney against the backlash over the Novig ad.
Before the quotation
Op-ed responding to the backlash over the Novig ad.
After the quotation
The op-ed did not address Fortinsky's claim that Sweeney drove the ad's visuals.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Vespa explicitly defends Sweeney's choice to appear in the ad and dismisses the backlash as hypocritical jealousy, a direct defense of the ad against the criticism it drew.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Sydney Sweeney
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
Fortinsky renews his defense of Novig's Sweeney ad
“Ultimately, I think we have nothing to apologize for and are very proud of the work that we did,”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
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The Dispute Index. "Vespa defends Sweeney, calls the backlash jealousy". First published: 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/864-townhall-managing-editor-matt-vespa-defended-sydney-sweeney