Alex Call and CatholicVote CEO condemn MLB soft‑porn ads during playoff broadcasts
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call and CatholicVote president and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt publicly condemned Major League Baseball on October 14, 2026, for allowing sexually suggestive advertisements to air during playoff broadcasts.
Call posted on X that he wanted the “soft porn ads” removed from networks such as TBS, Fox and NBC, saying, “My son wants to watch baseball with Dada, but how do I justify that when a half‑naked women could come on screen anytime?? This is America’s Pastime. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about this.” The post quickly garnered tens of thousands of likes and over a million views.
Reinhardt issued a statement urging MLB to keep its broadcasts appropriate for families, describing the sport as a “sacred” community experience and warning that the league should not “sell out to soft‑porn advertisers.” She emphasized that families want to enjoy the game without shielding children from explicit commercial content.
The controversy centers on high‑profile ads that have appeared during recent playoff games, including a commercial for the sports prediction platform Novig featuring actress Sydney Sweeney in minimal clothing, and a spot for an erectile‑dysfunction medication starring Megan Fox in a revealing bodysuit. Both ads have drawn criticism for their sexualized imagery.
MLB’s published advertising standards give the league authority to reject or pull any advertisement that could reflect negatively on the organization, including content deemed obscene, profane, in bad taste or offensive. The rules also require advance written approval for advertisements involving sexual or sex‑related services, such as contraceptives or sexual‑enhancement products, and mandate that gambling ads target responsible adults.
Critics argue that the current ads conflict with those standards, while supporters of the spots point to the revenue they generate for the league. The debate underscores an ongoing tension between commercial interests and the desire to preserve baseball as a family‑friendly pastime.
MLB has not yet issued a public response, but the league’s policies suggest it could intervene to block or modify future ads that violate its standards.
