Dodgers outfielder Alex Call, CatholicVote CEO slam MLB over ‘soft porn’ ads during playoff broadcasts

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call called out Major League Baseball (MLB) and its broadcast partners in an Oct. 14 social media post, urging them to stop airing “soft porn ads” during the playoff broadcasts, especially as children tune in to watch with their families.

The 32-year-old Christian athlete, known for frequently sharing Scripture verses and his faith on social media, spoke out in a repost of a similar statement by entrepreneur Taylor Murphy about commercials featuring scantily clad celebrities. 

“Can we please get the soft porn ads off playoff broadcasts, TBS, Fox, NBC, @MLB?” Call wrote on X. “My son wants to watch baseball with Dada, but how do I justify that when a half-naked women [sic] could come on screen anytime?? This is America’s Pastime. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about this.”

Call’s post quickly racked up tens of thousands of likes and more than 1.1 million views.

Murphy had posted to X Oct. 12 criticizing advertisements he said he saw while watching the playoffs with his children. He specifically pointed to an ad in which actress Megan Fox wore a revealing bodysuit and promoted erectile dysfunction medication, and another in which actress Sydney Sweeney appeared “in zero clothes” in a campaign for the sports prediction platform Novig. 

“Leagues can’t figure out why kids don’t watch,” Murphy said. “You don't need a Nickelodeon game. You're not the Savannah Bananas. Just show baseball in a way I can leave on in my house.”

Murphy’s post received nearly 3 million views and thousands of comments.

Also reposting Murphy’s statement, CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt urged MLB to keep its broadcasts appropriate for families, arguing that sports help build loyalty, unite communities, and inspire young children.

“I am begging MLB not to ruin America’s pastime by selling out to soft-porn advertisers,” she said in a statement. “There is something sacred about sports fandom.”

“Now that we have families of our own, we want to pass that same love of sports on to our children,” Reinhardt added. “We want to cheer for our teams, celebrate our heroes, and enjoy the game together without having to shield our kids from the advertising.”

“Some things are worth more than advertising dollars,” she concluded.

CatholicVote’s Mark Houck, an author and pro-life activist, warned that sexually suggestive commercials could encourage children to seek out explicit material, calling soft porn “a gateway to hardcore porn.”

“Borderline softcore porn commercials trigger impure curiosity among young people and innocent children,” he said in a statement to Zeale News. “Having this type of marketing on baseball games or any other so-called family-friendly programming violates the free will of this vulnerable demographic. It is certainly bad for adults too, but the travesty lies in stimulating a young child to then explore and search for the content that has now been triggered in their mind.”

He added that childhood innocence is “one of the most important elements of being young.”

“These commercials have no place in the homes of families who are trying their best to preserve their children’s innocence while at the same time enjoying a ball game with their kids,” Houck continued. “This has been going on for far too long. Sex sells, but we, the American family, are not buying!”

MLB’s published advertising standards give the league discretion to reject advertisements or direct broadcast partners to stop running them. The policy identifies several grounds for doing so, including content that is “defamatory, dishonest, obscene, profane, in bad taste or offensive.” 

The league’s rules also require advance written approval for advertisements involving “sexual or sex-related materials or services or establishments” and “contraceptives or sexual enhancement products.” The standards also address sports gambling advertisements, saying they should target responsible adults and avoid content designed to appeal to people below the legal betting age. 

Murphy added in another post that he wanted his three young sons “to be able to watch their favorite sport” without having “to see naked celebrities in between innings.” 

He added, “Feels reasonable.” 

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