A new women’s soccer team in Boston is trying to create hype around their inaugural season with an ad campaign called “Too Many Balls”. The phrase sparked some sharp backlash on social media, particularly from the LGBTQ and trans communities, which found the slogan pretty offending and exclusory. The team has since issued a formal apology, promising to make their organization more diverse and inclusive.
It sported the title “Too Many Balls” and soccer balls, plastered on various social media posts and merchandise. It was a very playful slogan, according to the marketing team, who sought after an interesting and able-to-grab attention base of fans. Many people, however, found it tone-deaf. Critics have argued that the focus of the campaign on “balls” alienated and disrespected non-binary and transgender people, especially in the context that space was for women’s sports.
LGBTQ advocates and fans have taken to social media to protest. It’s hard to support a team that seems clueless about the various identities in women’s sports.” Another critic wrote, “We want to celebrate women’s sports; however, our language and actions must also be inclusive of all who identify with this space.”
The team management responded rapidly, putting up a statement in the course of regretting the campaign while pointing out that they have indeed “missed the mark.” They explained, “Our intention was to create a fun and engaging campaign, but we realize now that our approach lacked sensitivity and consideration for the diverse identities within the LGBTQ and trans communities.”
The statement continued further: “We are deeply sorry for the offense our ‘Too Many Balls’ campaign has caused. We listen and learn, and commit to ensuring that our future campaigns and events are inclusive of all identities within our community.” Furthermore, the team announced a halt to the campaign effective immediately and moving forward intends to engage with the LGBTQ organizations to create more inclusive campaigns and efforts moving forward.
The team has proposed plans to partner with local LGBTQ advocacy groups regarding educating staff and fans of how to be more inclusive and respectful of people by using respectful and inclusive language. They also plan on hosting a special event for the LGBTQ community, organized with guest speakers, testimonies from the players, and all other kinds of activities in an effort to make the participants aware and allies.
This controversy underlines the importance of inclusion and reminds all of the diverse identities active in the spaces. Fans and advocacy groups have cautiously suggested optimism for the response from the team, seeing it as a chance for growth and better change, but are calling for ongoing engagement and accountability.
Whether the scandal will ultimately change the team’s relationships with the community in Boston remains to be seen, but as the team gears up for its first season, it appears committed at least to repairing relationships and creating a more welcoming environment for soccer fans.
