MLB Playoff Ads Draw Backlash Over 2 Sexualized Spots as Fans Say Broadcasts Alienate Children
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 16
MLB Playoff Ads Draw Backlash Over 2 Sexualized Spots as Fans Say Broadcasts Alienate Children
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 16
Summary
Social media criticism swelled this week after MLB playoff broadcasts repeatedly aired sexualized commercials featuring Sydney Sweeney for a gambling prediction market and Megan Fox for a male enhancement product.
Alex Call, a Dodgers left fielder left off the postseason roster, amplified the backlash Wednesday by urging broadcasters to remove the “soft porn ads,” saying his son wants to watch baseball without half-naked women appearing.
Parents and other viewers echoed that complaint online, arguing the spots make playoff games harder to watch with children and risk pushing families away from the sport.
The dispute has shifted attention from the ads themselves to broadcast gatekeeping, because networks largely control which commercials make it onto postseason telecasts.