- Bos Nation FC is an NWSL expansion club slated to launch in 2026
- The team launched an ad campaign Tuesday only to scrap it within a day
Bos Nation FC, the NWSL expansion club slated to launch in 2026, has pulled its ‘Too Many Balls’ ad campaign amid uproar over the messaging for Boston’s new women’s soccer team.
Among the reactions was an Instagram post from Seattle midfielder Quinn, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary, saying, ‘Feels transphobic. Yikes.’
Just one day after unveiling the slogan as part of the rollout of the team name BOS Nation FC, the organization said in a statement that ‘we missed the mark’ with an attempt to ‘create a bold and buzzworthy brand launch campaign.’
‘We fully acknowledge that the content of the campaign did not reflect the safe and welcoming environment we strive to create for all,’ the team said, ‘and we apologize to the LGBTQ+ community and to the trans community in particular for the hurt we caused.’
The new name, an anagram of Bostonian that also played upon being a ‘boss,’ was announced Tuesday along with a video celebrating the city’s professional sports history – mostly accomplished by men – with the narrator saying, ‘Boston loves its balls’ and ‘there are too many balls in this town.’
The team launched its ‘Too Many Balls’ ad campaign Tuesday only to scrap it within a day
Among the reactions was an Instagram post from Seattle midfielder Quinn, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary, saying, ‘Feels transphobic. Yikes’
Seattle midfielder Quinn (pictured) said they thought the ad campaign ‘feels transphobic’
Even former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady appeared in the clip when the narrator made a joke about ‘goat balls’ in a play on the retired NFL star’s reputation as the G.O.A.T.
Brady responds to the ‘goat balls’ joke by asking: ‘Wait, what?’
The spot concluded: ‘We are BOS Nation, where anything is possible. No balls necessary,’ with the exception, the video noted, of a soccer ball.
‘I’m really looking forward to see the community’s response,’ Jennifer Epstein, one of the team’s owners, told The Associated Press. Actress and director Elizabeth Banks and Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman also are part of the all-female ownership group.
But what they got wasn’t what they expected.
The team took the video down from its website, and its toomanyballs.com website was a dead link on Wednesday. The public relations agency that sent out the news release on the launch forwarded the team’s statement to the AP, but more details about the campaign were not immediately available.
The club issued a groveling apology on Wednesday, admitting that they ‘missed the mark’
Tom Brady is among the athletes featured in the video, which has since been pulled
Fans gather during a kickoff celebration for NWSL’s new franchise in Boston on Tuesday
‘We are proud to be part of the most inclusive sports league in the world and are committed to upholding the unifying values that define the NWSL and our club,’ the team posted on X. ‘Thank you to all who have held us accountable by calling for us to do better. We hear you and we will, together.’
Another issue with the Bos Nation FC video was that it seemed to ignore the presence of another professional women’s sports team: The PWHL’s Boston Fleet.
The omission did not go unnoticed.
‘They also forgot the other Womens (sic) sports teams in the area too like the PWHL Boston Fleet,’ one fan wrote online.
‘I don’t understand this marketing campaign whatsoever,’ another added. ‘It makes no damn sense and leaving out Boston’s long history of women’s hockey. It’s just sad.’