As sports fans, we know being subjected to advertisements is just a reality. Networks need to get a return on their investment when they pay billions of dollars per year in sports rights.
But sometimes, ads can go too far. And Fox might’ve given us one of the more egregious ad placements in recent memory during Game 7 of the ALCS between the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.
Down one run in the top of the ninth inning, the Mariners were down to the final two outs of their season. Seattle needed a score. More immediately, they just needed a base runner. One person reaching base would’ve guaranteed an at-bat for superstar catcher Cal Raleigh. These were the most tense pitches the Mariners had faced all year. They were maybe even the most tense pitches in franchise history, with the team on the precipice of reaching the World Series for the first time ever.
To say you could’ve cut the tension in Rogers Centre with a knife would be both cliche and an understatement. This series of at-bats was the pinnacle of the MLB season so far.
And then, as Mariners pinch hitter Dominic Canzone fouled one back beyond the home-plate netting, Fox did something inexplicable. It began airing a Capital One advertisement.
With just two outs left in the Mariners’ season, Fox decided to take 15 seconds in the middle of an at-bat to show a Capital One advertisement.
Gotta keep the lights on somehow 🤷pic.twitter.com/MM18Xqjhgw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 21, 2025
Imagine going to watch a James Bond movie in theaters, and right when 007 is about to confront his adversary, he tries to sell you Coca-Cola. This is essentially what Fox just did to millions of people watching the final inning of Game 7.
Frankly, the decision was unacceptable. The ninth inning of a winner-take-all Game 7 to earn a spot in the World Series should be sacred. The only priority should be delivering the best possible game broadcast. Period.
If there’s a natural break in the game, like a pitching change, sure, get your ads in. But this was in the middle of an at-bat, with a critical 1-1 pitch forthcoming. Fox completely ruined any tension, any immersion they had successfully built to that point. It was a complete disservice to baseball fans, and simply oozed of greed.
One can only hope the network won’t pull this crap during the World Series. There’s a time and place for in-game advertisements. The ninth inning of Game 7 in the middle of an at-bat is not one of them.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.