LA Dodgers star Alex Call isn’t happy with the provocative commercials featuring Sydney Sweeney being aired during the MLB playoffs.
Sweeney’s recent commercial, where she uses various sporting items to cover her nude body, has recently garnered a lot of backlash.
Many have felt that the commercial sends a negative message to women and their engagement and involvement in sports.
Alex Call slams ‘half-naked’ Sydney Sweeney commercial during MLB playoffs
Taking to X, LA Dodgers outfielder Alex Call asked MLB and their broadcast partners not to air the controversial Sydney Sweeney commercial during the playoffs.
He noted that he watches baseball with his son, and having to explain such lewd visuals to his son is a struggle he and many parents are facing.
Call said: “Can we please get the soft p*** 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 anytime? This is America’s Pastime. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about this.”
Call is far from the only prominent voice to criticise the commercial and its inappropriate nature, as the superstar actress has faced significant backlash for the ad.
Several female athletes have decried Sweeney’s commercial as disrespectful and dismissive of the impressive athletes in women’s sports, and suggested that the commercial is appealing to a male audience rather than highlighting the achievements of women in sports.
While most people have criticised Sweeney for reducing women’s involvement in sports to the male gaze and the lowest common denominator, Call has decried the commercial as inappropriate for television audiences that include young children.
Despite the criticism, Sweeney has maintained that she has done nothing wrong. And her overall popularity has meant that the commercial has continued to air.
The MLB has not issued a response to Call and others’ complaints on the matter, presumably feeling that the commercials that air during their broadcasts, while lucrative for them, are not reflective of the organisation’s larger values.
Read more: