Dodgers outfielder Alex Call has asked Major League Baseball and its broadcast partners to remove 'soft porn' adverts from playoff coverage, saying they make it difficult to watch games with his young son. Call, 32, hit .233 in 88 games this season but is not on Los Angeles's NLCS roster. He tagged TBS, Fox, NBC, and MLB in his post on X.
'Can we please get the soft porn ads off playoff broadcasts, TBS, Fox, NBC, @MLB?' he 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 America's Pastime. Parents shouldn't have to worry about this.'
Baseball Figures Push Back on Playoff Ads
The coverage links the post to Novig's 'Just Sports' campaign, which features Sydney Sweeney unclothed. Novig is a sports prediction market, and Sweeney is both a strategic partner and an equity holder in the company.
Can we please get the soft porn ads off playoff broadcasts, TBS, Fox, NBC, @MLB? 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. https://t.co/7YAWSZgo5d
— Alex Call (@ACAD_27) October 14, 2026
When criticism of the campaign began, she responded by sharing nude magazine shoots of athletes including Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey. British sprinter Amy Hunt and Olympic water polo medallist Tilly Kearns have also criticised the adverts.
Call is not the only baseball figure unhappy with the commercial breaks. Genevieve Albernaz, wife of Orioles manager Craig Albernaz, asked TNT Sports on X why an HBO Max horror trailer was airing at 8:20 PM during the ALCS 'while my kids are watching'. Her complaint was about a different advert, but it came from another family that lives inside the sport.
Why TV Networks Hesitate to Pull Viral Novig Ad
Novig is reportedly valued at $2 billion (£1.5 billion), up from $500 million (£378 million) after a $75 million (£57 million) funding round in February. Co-founder Jacob Fortinsky told CNBC that trading volume rose 94% after the Sweeney ad aired and that active users are up 260% on last year.
If the campaign is delivering for its sponsor, the networks have little financial reason to pull it. Parents watching with their children are unlikely to see it that way, and Call's post has brought that conversation into the open.
No dictators. No market manipulation. No insider trading.No BS. Just sports. https://t.co/em4ioPMYiA
— Novig (@Novig) October 11, 2026
America's Pastime and the Family Audience
Baseball has spent years trying to attract younger fans, presenting the game as something a whole family can sit down to watch together. Critics say that message is hard to square with commercial breaks that promote a betting-style product using a naked actress. Some users online agreed with Call, while others pointed out that advertising revenue helps pay his salary.
The reaction at the ballpark was friendlier. When Call was introduced before Game 3 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium, the crowd gave him a warm reception, even though he was not on the series roster.
Not the First Advert To Test the Limit
Complaints about racy commercials during Dodgers games are not new. In 2008, the team pulled adverts for the film Zack and Miri Make a Porno from its Fox broadcasts after a viewer complained about watching them with his young son.
The Novig campaign has been building since September, when the first spot showed Sweeney naked behind sports equipment. A second ad, posted on her Instagram on 11 October, shows her in underwear holding footballs.
Alex Call is now urging a move similar to the Dodgers' 2008 action, this time against a bigger advertiser and several networks. As of writing, no response has been reported from the networks or MLB.
