Indiana Fever and WNBA player Sophie Cunningham comments on the public reaction to Sydney Sweeney’s nude viral advertisement for sports gambling company Novig. Speaking on her “No Hesitation” podcast, Cunningham addresses why the ad drew criticism from some female athletes and observers.
Cunningham says she is not surprised by the controversy and describes having multiple perspectives on the ad. While one outlet reports she defends the campaign and calls the backlash overblown, another reports she does not fully “love” the ad and instead questions the framing of the criticism, asking why some people—especially women athletes—react as they do.
The outlets differ mainly in emphasis: Fox highlights Cunningham’s pushback against the backlash, while Yahoo Sports focuses on her selective concerns and her questioning tone. The Vancouver Sun presents her remarks more broadly as a “breaks silence” response, describing her reaction as critical in tone but framed as a wider question about expectations and messaging around the ad.
