Tuesday should have been a triumphant night for the NWSL’s newest expansion team, but less than a day after a packed event in downtown Boston to officially launch the BOS Nation team name and colors, the club apologized for the pain caused by the publicity campaign.
Five hundred fans registered for the event at the Dick’s House of Sport store, featuring Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, former USMNT and New England Revolution player Charlie Davies and former USWNT and Boston Breakers players Lauren Holiday and Kristine Lilly present. Former USA Hockey and Boston Blades player Angela Ruggiero also stopped by. Local vendors served food and drinks and muralist Laura DeDonato was on hand, not only to paint a live mural during the party, but also as the person who originally came up with the name “Boston Breakers.” ”During the WUSA era.
But during a thoughtful launch party, there was a misguided element: fans reacted negatively not only to the team’s name, but also to the use of a “Balls Balls Balls” video campaign by local creative advertising agency Colossus. The ‘Balls’ ad on his Instagram included the caption: “Thank you to our brave customers for having the courage to be wildly provocative with this launch.”
The Colossus ad had comments disabled, unlike other posts, presumably due to the high number of negative comments. Seattle Reign midfielder Quinn, who is trans and non-binary, had commented on the team’s Instagram video earlier that day, saying: “Feels transphobic. Yes.” They also said later in the comments that their original response was “hidden by Instagram.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the launch event (Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Wu, Davies and team owners made remarks from the podium, calling the team an asset to the community, a way to change the lives of local children through sports, and “a nation made up entirely of you, the many stories , the cultures and passions that make up our city,” a protester stood in the back, holding up a sign that read in bold letters: “NO ROOM FOR TRANSPHOBIA.”
The protester, who identified himself as Theo of Dorchester, Massachusetts, later said the sign was a response to the team’s “Balls” ad.
“I think there was a lot about the launch that could have been better, but I think the (Balls) video was very short-sighted,” they said. “I wish they had just asked a few people because it’s gender essentialism, talking about balls as men’s genitals. There are men who have no balls. There are women who do have balls… It was offensive and hurtful.
“I’ve been waiting for this team since the Breakers folded. I was so excited. I’ve been to every event so far and as a trans person it was extremely hurtful to see them roll this out with nothing but senseless transphobia. It didn’t have to happen. It was completely preventable.”
“We fully acknowledge that the content of the campaign did not reflect the safe and welcoming environment we seek to create for everyone, and we apologize to the LGBTQ+ community and especially the trans community for any pain we have caused.” the team said in Wednesday’s statement.
GO DEEPER
Boston NWSL club misses the mark with BOS Nation FC and marketing campaign
As of Wednesday morning, the website toonyballs.com also appears to be offline.
Theo was not the only fan there who found the ad offensive.
Liam from Roxbury, Massachusetts, said: “As a transgender person, I am very disappointed to see the focus on balls as an identifier of whether or not you can be a woman. It is really disappointing to see a team that values diversity and inclusivity immediately say that anyone with balls is not part of the women’s football community.”
The team’s name also provoked strong reactions, as evidenced by the flood of negative comments under every social media post on both Twitter and Instagram that was rolled out as part of the launch.
“It’s not a name I would choose,” said a fan who identified himself as Anthony from Billerica, Massachusetts. “I don’t think it’s a name that really resonates with a lot of Boston people, especially given the reaction to videos and stuff. It could definitely use some work. And I definitely think it can be more democratic with the people of Boston as well. Maybe that would be an interesting thing to do, but it’s not a bad name. It’s not the worst name ever, but it’s not the best either.”
“I don’t feel very comfortable with it,” Liam added. “It is very easy to paint a nationalist piece… Are we all, as their supporters, ‘the nationalists’? I don’t know if I like that.”
“If it hadn’t been broken by Sandra (Herrera, of CBS Sports), who I respect immensely as a reporter, I would have thought it was a joke. It’s embarrassing,” Theo said.
However, the criticism of the event seemed to be of a constructive nature and not an outright attack. Theo wore an NWSL Boston hat with the team’s temporary logo, purchased before the team launched its name and ad campaign, and as they noted, they were eagerly awaiting the NWSL’s return to the city as a Breakers fan.
Liam was the same, wrapped in a team scarf. This wasn’t someone who had come to the event solely to be angry at the team, but to try to see what could be done to move forward as a longtime Boston football fan.
“I have been interested in the local football community since about 2013 when I first moved here,” he says. “I had a partner at the time who brought me to the Revolution (the area’s MLS team), and from there to the Breakers. So I’ve been kind of on the sidelines of the scene, but now that it’s in my backyard, I really want to get involved.
Other fans had similar sentiments and even advocated allowing a little grace in the process.
“I think (the name) could use some extra love,” says Natasha from Worcester, Massachusetts. “But people can also understand that it goes through phases, and people have to figure it out and, if it doesn’t stick, they can change the name at any time if they want to.”
“The name announcement was quite interesting. Those are just my real thoughts on it. But honestly, I’m always in favor of everything in Boston,” said a fan who identified himself as DJ Whysham, from Dorchester.
“I don’t think it’s too late for the team to change course and try something different given the immediate negative reaction from the fanbase,” said Liam.
It was clear that the response to the event came from fans who want BOS Nation to succeed. While the online reactions were largely negative, the locals who make up the team’s home fanbase were genuine.
There could still be room for Boston to evolve, in more ways than one.
The fans at the launch party seemed ready to support changes for the better and have their own team to advocate for.
(Top photo: Steph Yang/The Athletic)