David Beckham is a former soccer legend and a guy who still stays in phenomenal shape at 51.
asserted
who → stay → 51
And so it was no surprise that he recently appeared in a Hugo Boss underwear ad wearing nothing but the product itself.
asserted
he → appear → product
The Beckham ad made waves but attracted exactly zero controversy.
asserted
ad → make → controversy
The same goes for Cristiano Ronaldo’s clothing-challenged ad for CR7 Underwear.
asserted
same → go → Underwear
But when actress and model Sydney Sweeney released a provocative advertisement recently for Novig, a sports prediction site, the Left lost its collective mind.
asserted
Left → release → mind
“What happens if one stays silent and lets all the ripples of this advertisement spread without challenge?” asked Katie Whyatt of the New York Times and the Athletic.
asserted
Whyatt → happen → Times
“This is the conundrum all women in sport face when under any kind of attack.
asserted
women → face → attack
Do they dignify when all they want to do is disarm?
asserted
they → dignify → ?
This has become the biggest women’s sport talking point of the year, yet doesn’t even involve a sportswoman.”
asserted
This → become → sportswoman
“Sweeney and all those implicit in creating [the Novig ad] have intentionally ignored the decades of hard work by elite and amateur athletes who have managed not only to make a dent in that system, but even to deconstruct parts of it altogether,” writes Megan Feringa, also of the New York Times and the Athletic.
asserted
Feringa → create → Times
“This feels like a bleak moment for women and girls in sport.”
asserted
This → feel → sport
And from Jen Psaki on MS Now:
“It’s frustrating to so many college athletes and people who are in college sports because there are so many college women’s programs and so many sports that are being cut right now, and when you have this overly sexualized ad, it’s really taking away from what these women are doing,” the former Biden press secretary said.
asserted
secretary → ’ → what
For those keeping score at home, Psaki totally supports biological men competing against women in sports, even sharing locker rooms, but if an actor uses her looks to promote a sports-related product?
asserted
actor → keep → product
That’s unacceptable.
asserted
That → ’ → ?
What all of these Karens seem to share in common is not doing basic homework when it comes to others’ sexualizing sports.
asserted
it → seem → sports
Take ESPN’s Body Issue, for example, which is full of hundreds of naked photos over the years of male and female athletes showcasing “the world’s greatest athletes — the muscles, skin, features and scars that make them who they are …
asserted
they → take → athletes
every body has a story,” according to the magazine.
uncertain
body → have → magazine
After the Novig backlash, Sweeney responded with a social media post showing a photo of her in the ad, juxtaposed with covers of past ESPN body issues featuring female athletes, including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, and Caroline Wozniacki.
asserted
Sweeney → respond → Williams
No direct commentary from Sweeney was needed.
asserted
commentary → need → Sweeney
It should be noted that Sweeney has an equity share in Novig, which, after her ad, is worth infinitely more than it was pre-ad.
asserted
it → note → ad
Overall, the ad has generated more than 50 million views on Instagram alone and tens of millions more on X. Countless cable news segments have debated it.
asserted
segments → generate → it
As a result, Novig generated $317 million in volume in the week ending Sept. 16, marking a 33% increase from the previous week before the Sweeney ad engulfed the internet.
asserted
ad → generate → internet
And the app has jumped from around 50th to the top 20 among sports downloads.
asserted
app → jump → downloads
Obviously, Novig is laughing all the way to the bank.
asserted
Novig → laugh → bank
As is Sweeney, who was down this ridiculous road last year for doing an ad campaign called Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans for American Eagle.
asserted
Sweeney → do → Eagle
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color.
asserted
Genes → pass → color
My jeans are blue,” Sweeney said in the advertisement.
asserted
Sweeney → say → advertisement
Critics from the Left slammed the ad as racist and a dog whistle of white supremacy.
asserted
Critics → slam → supremacy
In an interview with GQ, reporter Katherine Stoeffel noted that President Donald Trump posted Sweeney’s jeans ad on social media.
asserted
Trump → note → media
“Trump tweeted about it,” Stoeffel said.
asserted
Stoeffel → tweet → it
“It was surreal,” Sweeney responded.
asserted
Sweeney → respond → ?
“Do you worry?” Stoeffel asked strangely.
asserted
Stoeffel → worry → ?
“No,” an unfazed Sweeney replied.
asserted
Sweeney → reply → ?
“Maybe white people shouldn’t joke about genetic superiority,” Stoeffel scolded.
asserted
Stoeffel → joke → superiority
“When I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear,” Sweeney deadpanned back.
asserted
Sweeney → have → that
Other publications would make the same argument as Stoeffel: that Sweeney was engaging in white supremacy for the crime of declaring in a jeans ad that, because her parents are attractive, so is she.
asserted
she → make → ad
Fortunately, there are a few voices of reason that remain on the left, including HBO’s Bill Maher.
asserted
that → be → Maher
“In other uncomfortable racial news — sad news, we found out that Sydney Sweeney is a Nazi,” Maher joked after that controversy broke.
asserted
controversy → find → news
“No, she’s not, but you’ve seen the ad that is out there.
asserted
that → ’ → ad
This is a very important ad that we’re seeing now.
asserted
we → see → that
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
