For Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call, watching baseball with his son is about more than the game unfolding on the screen. It’s a chance to share a passion, create memories, and strengthen their bond. It’s the same story for countless fathers and sons across the country… But even the simplest family traditions can take an unexpected turn.

What happens when a moment meant to bring them closer is suddenly interrupted by something awkward? Explicit advertisements can make families uncomfortable, and that’s exactly what Call faced recently.

“Can we please get the soft p**n 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 woman could come on screen at any time?” wrote the Dodgers star on X.

Taylor Murphy, Dale Murphy’s son, raised the issue first, asking MLB: “Hey @MLB – wanna get more kids watching baseball? Maybe start with the commercials… Leagues can’t figure out why kids don’t watch. 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.”

Here’s what happened: MLB playoffs have featured some uncomfortable advertisements. One of them featured Megan Fox promoting Ro Sparks, a treatment for erectile dysfunction. The star appears in a tight red bodysuit during the commercial, which uses suggestive imagery to promote the product.

Another featured Sydney Sweeney in Novig’s “Just Sports” campaign, posing with sports equipment while minimally clothed.

Novig operates a sports prediction-market platform, and the campaign has faced criticism since launching in September.

Several female athletes have questioned whether its portrayal of women supports the progress made in women’s sports.

Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus and British sprinter Amy Hunt were among those criticizing Sweeney’s campaign. Their concerns focused on presenting women through revealing images rather than their abilities in sports.

However, Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky defended the campaign, saying: “As a company, we’re hugely supportive of women’s sports. We never intended to portray female athletes.”

The debate has continued as the advertisement has appeared during baseball’s postseason broadcasts. But concerns about the commercials extend beyond the way women appear in advertisements.

Murphy also complained about a frightening horror trailer (Jessica Chastain’s Other Mommy) airing while their children watched the games. Genevieve Albernaz, wife of Orioles manager Craig Albernaz, raised a similar concern during the ALCS.

She wrote: “Hey @tntsports, how about we not advertise HBO Max horror movies at 8:20 during the ALCS while my kids are watching?! What are we doing?!”

The complaints arrive as MLB’s postseason attracts millions of viewers across its broadcast partners.

The Yankees-Red Sox Wild Card series averaged 7.4 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, according to NBCUniversal. The Dodgers-Braves Division Series opener also averaged 5.48 million viewers on FOX, according to Front Office Sports. Those figures show the reach of postseason baseball.

Ironically, the league is trying to attract a younger audience

The MLB is actively modernizing its approach to reverse the trend of an aging fanbase and expand its audience.

To combat long, slower-paced broadcasts that struggled to retain younger viewers, MLB introduced sweeping rule changes. These include the pitch clock, larger bases, and limits on defensive shifts and mound visits. With that, the average game length has been reduced to roughly two hours and 36 minutes.

The league signed a high-profile multi-year Netflix deal for major events like Opening Night, alongside expanding multi-year distribution deals with platforms like TikTok. MLB now even runs its proprietary influencer program called the Creator Class to partner with social media creators and reach younger, more diverse audiences.

Despite all this, for families watching together, commercial breaks can bring unexpected content that might not be appropriate for children.

The reactions have placed the focus on what viewers encounter outside the field action. Murphy questioned whether MLB could attract younger fans while airing commercials they considered unsuitable for family viewing.

MLB does not necessarily control every commercial aired during postseason games, as networks and advertisers also play major roles in ad sales and placement. However, the league has influence over its broadcast partnerships and can raise concerns about advertising that appears during its games.

That said, the complaints have raised questions about how networks and advertisers balance commercial choices with baseball’s family audience.