Transgender backlash prompts pro women's soccer team to apologize for 'too many balls' branding announcement
A joke had to be thrown out at the offices of the new BOS Nation FC women's soccer club.
As an expansion team with the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) based in Boston, Nation FC is looking to carve out its identity and its audience in one of America's proudest sports towns. Its attempt to do this began with a branding announcement video in which a narrator uttered the slogans "Boston loves its balls" and "there are too many balls in this town." At the end of the video, the narrator said, "We are BOS Nation, where anything is possible. No balls necessary."
The team even launched an official website with a URL of "toomanyballs.com." That website is now offline.
The organization issued an apology for the proposal Wednesday addressed to the LGBT community, more specifically to the transgender community.
"We fully acknowledge that the content of the campaign did not reflect the safe and welcoming environment we strive to create for all, and we apologize to the LGBTQ+ community and to the trans community in particular for the hurt we caused," the statement said.
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There were several instances of transgender advocates speaking out against the organization on social media after the announcement, including a transgender NWSL player.
A transgender player who goes by the singular name Quinn, who plays for the Seattle Reign, spoke out against the team's branding announcement in a post on Instagram.
"Feels transphobic. Yikes," Quinn wrote.
The team released another statement on social media in which it thanked those who spoke out against it.
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"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."
The organization did not address the heterosexual community in its apology, nor did it address men.
BOS Nation FC had not responded to a request for comment from Fox News Digital before the time of publication.
The timing of the "too many balls" branding and the team's apology to the trans population coincided with a contentious period regarding transgender inclusion in women's sports.
Former President Trump addressed the issue of transgender inclusion in women's sports during a Fox News town hall with Harris Faulkner Wednesday. Trump advocated for a full ban of all biological men in women's and girls sports during the event.
"You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don't let it happen," Trump said, as the audience cheered. "Not a big deal."
Some states have already passed their own laws to combat transgender competition against women. In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little issued an executive order to carry out the Defending Women's Sports Act in August.
A total of 23 states have at least one law in place aimed at restricting or preventing transgender inclusion in women's sports.
In Texas, which has a pivotal Senate race, the topic weighed so heavily that one candidate backpedaled on his stance. Democrat Colin Allred has said in advertisements and during a debate against opponent Ted Cruz this week that he doesn't advocate for "boys in girls sports."
Allred is one of many Democratic members of Congress to have signed the Equality Act, which would "force public schools to allow biologically male athletes who identify as transgender on girls sports teams."
In April, the Biden-Harris administration issued a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s ban on "sex" discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and "pregnancy or related conditions."
The rule took effect Aug. 1, and, for the first time, the law stated that discrimination based on sex includes conduct related to a person’s gender identity. The Biden administration insisted that the regulation does not address athletic eligibility. However, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that Biden's claims that it would not result in biological men participating in women's sports were not true and that the proposal would ultimately put more biological men in women's sports.
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to reject the Biden administration's emergency request to enforce portions of that new rule that includes protection from discrimination for transgender students under Title IX, after more than two dozen Republican attorneys general sued to block the Title IX changes in their own states.
Now, as BOS Nation FC looks to attract fans as an expansion team in women's soccer, it doesn't want to be caught in the crosshairs.
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