BOS Nation FC, the fresh NWSL company scheduled to play in Boston in 2026, apologized for an advertising and social media campaign that had been criticized for being misogynistic and no encompassing a moment after a much-reviled implementation.
” While we had hoped to create a strong and buzzworthy product launch plan, we missed the mark”, the group said in a statement. We express our regret to the LGBTQ+ area and the transgender community in particular for the harm we caused by the content of the plan.
The new company made its name on Tuesday with a one-minute videos online that attempted to juggle some tongue-in-cheek attempts at identity fun with an exciting look at the prospect of women’s soccer. A sexual voice-over made a nod to the five people’s major league teams that represent the Boston area, noting that there are” to some balls” in the area, including a Tom Brady show when referring to “goat balloons” as a play on him frequently being referred to as the greatest player of all time.
The picture depicts young girls playing football, essentially invoking a new age of women’s hockey in the town, after thinking “maybe there are too many balls in this town.”
According to The Athletic, products featuring the” Also Many Balls” battle was pulled from the group’s website. Also, the picture has been deleted from Instagram, and the YouTube film has gone secret. The URL toomanyballs.com remains registered by GoDaddy but is now not in use as of Wednesday.
Enthusiasts and the media immediately criticized the” Too Many Balls” plan for not standing up for the NWSL’s inclusion claims. The most piercing censure came from Quinn, a non-binary winger for the Seattle Reign, who said it was transphobic. ( Quinn’s original comment was hidden by Instagram, which prompted them to say,” calling out transphobia should n’t be hidden! This does n’t represent the league and is such poor messaging”. )
While a significant amount of the backlash stems from the party’s poor attempt at humor, there’s also a belief that” To Many Pellets” was a smile only to Boston’s people’s activities and that the crew choose not to acknowledge the history of women’s activities in the region. That history includes the Boston Breakers franchise that was dissolved in 2018—one that began play in an early NWSL’s predecessor, the WUSA, in 2001.
The one-minute video and now unavailable merchandise represent just one part of the rollout, but it’s the most controversial. Fans have taken aim at the team’s name itself—a not-so-obvious anagram of” Bostonian” —and some have taken to Change. to sign a petition asking for the brand to be changed. There’s also confusion on the slogans used on both the website and available merchandise, such as” we are the many” and “be the many”, in relation to a singular team referring to itself as a “nation”.
The rest of the team’s statement read,” We are proud to be a 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.” ” Thank you to everyone who has called for improvement by holding us accountable. We hear you and we will, together”.
In the interim, BOS Nation FC is working with the city to redevelop White Stadium as its main residence before the 2026 season.