The Dispute Index

Jacob Fortinsky

Co-founder and CEO of Novig, a U.S. sports prediction market.

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What we have documented

We have documented 3 statements by Jacob Fortinsky, in 1 case. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.

Case updates

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Statements by Jacob Fortinsky

Jacob Fortinsky

Role at the time: Novig co-founder, speaking in a CNBC interview

Defended or excused

Statement summary

Fortinsky says Novig has no reason to apologize and remains proud of the ad. He says its purpose was to explain the platform rather than represent women athletes.

“Ultimately, I think we have nothing to apologize for and are very proud of the work that we did,”
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Novig credits Sydney Sweeney campaign for growthOctober 3 article, Backlash against Just Sports ad section and Fortinsky's before-and-after platform figures.
Why we used this label

He explicitly defends the disputed advertising campaign against the criticism that it harmed women's sport.

Read statementFull case: Sydney Sweeney’s Novig "Just Sports" ad draws backlash over sexualizing women’s sport

Jacob Fortinsky

Role at the time: Co-founder and CEO, Novig

Mixed or conditional

Statement summary

Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky said Sydney Sweeney "was driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging" in the ad, shifting creative responsibility for its content toward her.

“It really was Sydney who was driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Novig CEO says Sweeney drove the ad's visuals
Why we used this label

Fortinsky shifts creative responsibility for the ad's content onto Sweeney rather than defending or condemning the ad's substance outright -- a distinct claim from his earlier 'never intended to portray female sports' statement, reframing the dispute over who is responsible without resolving whether the ad itself was appropriate.

Read statementFull case: Sydney Sweeney’s Novig "Just Sports" ad draws backlash over sexualizing women’s sport

Jacob Fortinsky

Role at the time: Co-founder and CEO, Novig

Defended or excused

Statement summary

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.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Novig CEO defends Sydney Sweeney ad, knew people who ‘hate her’ would be ‘loud’
Why we used 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.

Read statementFull case: Sydney Sweeney’s Novig "Just Sports" ad draws backlash over sexualizing women’s sport

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

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