Originally a post by Sackbut at Miscellany Room.

This is strange. WaPo: Boston NWSL franchise apologizes for ‘Too Many Balls’ team reveal campaign

Subhead: “Fans and players disliked the slogan, leading the team to issue a statement acknowledging the “hurt we caused” the LGBTQ+ and transgender communities.”

In the launch, the club unveiled its brand through its “Too Many Balls” campaign, a product of Boston-based ad agency Colossus meant to be a pun referencing the number of famous men’s teams in the city and the need for more women’s franchises. In an accompanying video, a narrator says: “Yeah, Boston loves its balls, but maybe there are too many balls in this town. So let’s add a new chapter to our city’s legacy. With new idols, new dreams and a new league to cheer for: the National Women’s Soccer League.”

That sounds quite funny and apropos. But it was deemed “transphobic”, so it must be shut down and an apology issued.

The apology references the hurt they caused “to the LGBTQ+ community and to the trans community in particular”. But of course there was no hurt to anything other than the T part, and perhaps they were even standing up for the L part. There shouldn’t have been any hurt to the “trans community” either, except for those men who insist they are women and that they or other men should be allowed to play on this women’s team; can’t mention the fact that these men possess male genitalia, or used to possess male genitalia, nor make any reference to genitalia at all, except perhaps for phrases intended to insult women.

There was also some complaint about the team name, “BOS Nation”. I have no idea why. BOS is the code for the main Boston airport, and “BOS Nation” is an anagram of “Bostonian”. Seems clever to me.