PLAYOFFS GONE WILD

MLB Star Hits Out at Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Soft Porn Ads’

The father of two replied to an MLB fan and fellow parent who said he can no longer leave baseball on with his kids in the room.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call called on Major League Baseball and its broadcast partners to remove what he called “soft porn” ads from 2026 playoff telecasts.

The callout was in response to an MLB fan on X, Taylor Murphy, who went viral after posting that the MLB could get younger kids watching if it aired ads that made parents comfortable leaving the TV on unattended.

“Wanna get more kids watching baseball? Maybe start with the commercials,” Murphy said.

When trying to watch the program with his kids, ads of Megan Fox selling erectile dysfunction pills in a red bodysuit, “the scariest movie trailer you’ve ever seen,” and Sydney Sweeney in “zero clothes” promoting sports betting aired between plays.

He continued, saying the MLB doesn’t need a Savannah Bananas gimmick or a Nickelodeon-style game. The league can simply “show baseball in a way I can leave on in my house.”

Call, a father of two, agreed with Murphy on X.

“Can we please get the soft porn ads off playoff broadcasts—TBS, Fox, NBC—@MLB?” Call wrote. “My son wants to watch baseball with Dada, but how do I justify that when a half-naked woman could come on screen anytime?”

This is the sports world’s latest snub of Sweeney over her ad for the sports-prediction market Novig. She’s filmed talking about the “just sports” betting platform and covering her naked body with various sports equipment.

Female athletes and celebrities have responded, calling the ad “damaging” to women’s sports.

Four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus said it “monetizes” women’s bodies, while former UCLA gymnast Gracie Kramer said female athletes have long fought to be seen for their performance rather than their bodies.

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Sprinter Amy Hunt, water-polo player Tilly Kearns, and rugby player Sofie Fella also all pushed back on the ad.

Novig CEO Jack Fortinsky defended the campaign, saying the company is “hugely supportive of women’s sports,” never intended to portray female athletes, and viewed Sweeney simply as an actress delivering a sports-focused message.

Though she hasn’t responded to Call directly, Sweeney publicly said she filmed the ad because she believes in the company’s leadership and message.

Murphy and Call received mixed responses, with parents supporting the take and others saying kids “aren’t the target audience” and the MLB doesn’t control the ads that play between programming. To which Murphy replied with a highlighted screenshot from a 2024 MLB advertising standards document.

The MLB reserves the right to “reject or instruct” any partner to cease the use of any ad “during, or in connection with, any Baseball Programming Transmission,” according to the document.

Call concluded his X rant with, “This is America’s Pastime. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about this.”

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