The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will play the NFL’s first-ever game in Melbourne, Australia, next Thursday, Sept. 10. Netflix will exclusively stream the game, with Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly on the call.
The Rams and 49ers hate each other. Rams head coach Sean McVay and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan are frenemies. Los Angeles is now home to the Monstars, while San Francisco remains cloaked in injury-riddled mystery.
Starved fans will rejoice in having football back on their screens, even if it’s a terrible game, but this marquee matchup sells itself for Netflix. Women, however, require a patronizing nudge, according to whoever conceptualized and signed off on what you’re about to watch.
The NFL already came under fire this offseason for its reported WAGs-centric marketing plan to appeal to women. Apparently, that was just the appetizer. This week, Netflix dropped an ad spot starring influencers Alix Earle and Ashtin Earle, and it’s not going over well with its target demographic.
The 73-second video arrived two days before Earle Meets World, their family’s reality series, premiered on Netflix. The cross-promotion? Smart. The execution? Miserable.
To start, Alix and Ashtin are dressed as a 49er and Ram, respectively.
“Hey, guys, we’re here trying some fits for the Rams-49ers game in Australia on Netflix,” Alix says.
Then, retired NFL player Isaac Rochell bursts through the door, screaming, “Alright, ladies!”
“The fate of these two teams depends on you guys,” Rochell, a new member of ESPN’s Creator Network, says while handing them helmets. The Earles are confused, with Ashtin asking, “Isn’t this just, like, for fun?” Rochell blows a whistle in their faces and coaches them through drills.
“Alright, ladies, post on 2, ready—” Rochell says, before Alix interrupts him to say, “Oh! A post? That’s more my speed. Do you want a TikTok, or do you want a Reel?”
Eventually, Alix and Ashtin bail on Rochell. They take off their helmets in slo-mo while flipping their hair, a la Denise Richards in Friends, to the tune of romantic jazz. “We’re totally ready,” Alix says. “For football?” Rochell asks. “No! For Netflix,” Ashtin says. And that’s mercifully that.
Predictably, Netflix received backlash for identifying whatever you want to call that as the best idea in the room.
“Is this ad supposed to get more women to watch the NFL?” Linda Cohn, recently retired from ESPN, posted.
Is this ad supposed to get more women to watch the NFL? https://t.co/KSRROY7Vfu
— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) September 3, 2026
“This trend of sports advertising involving women being uneducated/uninterested when it comes to sports and men having to show them the ropes (the whole ‘girl math/terms’ stuff, too) is both very insulting and very concerningly misogynistic,” Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News wrote.
This trend of sports advertising involving women being uneducated/uninterested when it comes to sports and men having to show them the ropes (the whole “girl math/terms” stuff, too) is both very insulting and very concerningly misogynistic. https://t.co/UwMmLRwcIm
— Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) September 4, 2026
“All the ‘marketing toward women’ the NFL has done this offseason has been beyond misogynistic,” Ashley Aireonna wrote. “Such a bad look. Ban domestic and sexual abusers, put more educated woman talking about the sport in front of cameras, do more dad- daughter events etc. That’s how to ACTUALLY make women invested/welcomed in the sport.”
Check out more reactions below.
my issue with this is there are so many amazing women who are influencers and content creators that actually love tf out of football. this route is just so disingenuous and only contributing to the mockery toward women who like sports /: https://t.co/m1G0rykt2V
— dee thee gemini 🧚🏽✨ (@medeecine) September 2, 2026
This is incredibly misogynistic @netflix. It ridicules and infantilizes women. Thousands of women watch the NFL because we genuinely enjoy the sport. Period.
— Swiftie Mexicana 🇲🇽 (@LaTayMexicana) September 4, 2026
@netflix @NFL pic.twitter.com/Fw5DGsjImU
— Swiftie Mexicana 🇲🇽 (@LaTayMexicana) September 4, 2026
so we’re just openly being misogynistic now huh. netflix doesn’t have anything good on it anymore so this is a good reminder to cancel my subscription!
— Soph 🏍️🏎️ (@lulu_soph_) September 3, 2026
This is so tone deaf and tasteless. There are so many better ways to better incorporate/involve women in the NFL. Yikes
— Sol ✮ (@UmbraLightning) September 3, 2026
as a woman who enjoys sports this ad has only made me less likely to be an nfl fan. the marketing team did not cook with this who is the target demographic. https://t.co/Mb4edX1cHg
— 🍊 (@MCL_71) September 3, 2026
this ad doesn’t even bother to hide its misogyny, they throw it in your face unfiltered and have the nerve to expect you to be okay with it, the absolute audacity of implying women can’t understand sports is insulting https://t.co/UFJxPAK9JI
— Yve⁸⁷ (@Yve87F) September 4, 2026
This is so fucking stupid. Who is this for? As a woman who has loved football my whole life, get fucked, Netflix. https://t.co/Ojl5uHtqqm
— Comrade Misty is Putin’s Buddy (@SarcasmStardust) September 3, 2026
This is incredibly misogynistic @netflix. It ridicules and infantilizes women. Thousands of women watch the NFL because we genuinely enjoy the sport. Period.
— Karina (@Karinamtb98) September 4, 2026
I have two daughters. They are starting to be a little interested in football (but it’s still a MAYBE sport for them to watch).
THIS IS THE WRONG WAY TO GET THEM INTERESTED.
In an attempt to be inclusive, Netflix went full misogynistic. https://t.co/3eSXHWWo9X
— Ethan T. Perkins (@Ethantp) September 3, 2026
and this is supposed to get women watching the nfl how? we lost the plot https://t.co/RCP2ut6bwF
— berry 🦌 | chiarot & faulk’s pr (@cranberr1ez) September 4, 2026