BOSTON (AP) — The National Women’s Soccer League expansion team in Boston apologized on Wednesday for a “Too Many Balls” marketing campaign that draw a harsh reaction from the transgender community and others.
A 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.”
It 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.
Among the reactions was an Instagram post from Seattle midfielder Quinn, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary, saying, “Feels transphobic. Yikes.”
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.
“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.”
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Fans gather during a kickoff celebration for National Women's Soccer League's Boston franchise, which is to be named BOS Nation Football Club, Tuesday, Oct.. 15, 2024, in Boston. (Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The extended family of Erik and Lyle Menendez will advocate for the brothers' release from prison during a news conference Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles as prosecutors review new evidence to determine whether they should be serving life sentences for killing their parents.
More than a dozen family members traveled across the country to call for the brothers' release in Los Angeles — the largest gathering of relatives since their 1996 sentencing. The news conference is taking place less than two weeks after LA County District Attorney George Gascón announced his office was looking at the brothers' case again.
Erik Menendez, now 53, and his 56-year-old brother, Lyle Menendez, are currently incarcerated in state prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion more than 35 years ago.
Lyle Menendez, who was then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot-gunned their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989 but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s long-term sexual molestation of Erik.
While some family members are calling for their release, Kitty Menendez’s brother, Milton Andersen — who is 90-years-old — said through an attorney that he believes “the appropriate sentence” is life in prison without possibility of parole. Andersen was not available for an interview.
“He believes that there was no molestation that occurred. He believes that the motive was pure greed, because they had just learned that they were going to be taken out of the will,” said Kathy Cady, Andersen’s attorney.
The extended family’s attorney Bryan Freedman previously said they strongly support the brothers’ release.
“She wishes nothing more than for them to be released,” Freedman said earlier this month of Joan VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister and the brothers’ aunt.
In court Wednesday, comedian Rosie O’Donnell plans to join the family.
Earlier this month, Gascón said there is no question the brothers committed the 1989 murders, but his office will be reviewing new evidence and will make a decision on whether a resentencing is warranted in the notorious case that captured national attention.
The brothers’ attorneys said the family believed from the beginning they should have been charged with manslaughter rather than murder. Manslaughter was not an option for the jury during the second trial that ultimately led to the brothers’ murder conviction, attorney Mark Geragos previously said.
The case has gained new traction in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming the true-crime drama “ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. ”
The new evidence includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his attorneys say corroborates the allegations that he was sexually abused by his father. A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 29.
Prosecutors at the time contended there was no evidence of any molestation. They said the sons were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.
But the brothers have said they killed their parents out of self-defense after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them. Their attorneys argue that because of society’s changing views on sexual abuse, that the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole today.
Jurors in 1996 rejected a death sentence in favor of life without parole.
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This story has been corrected to show Kitty Menendez’s brother’s name is Milton Andersen, not Milton Anderson.
Attorney Mark Geragos informs the media on developments on the case of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, both serving life sentences for the murder of their parents in 1989, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jaimie Ding)
FILE - Lyle Menendez looks up during testimony in his and brother Erik's retrial for the shotgun slayings of their parents, Oct. 20, 1995 in Los Angeles. (Steve Grayson/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Erik Menendez, center, listens to his attorney Leslie Abramson, as his brother Lyle looks on in a Beverly Hills, California, May 17, 1991. (AP Photo/Julie Markes, File)
FILE - An Oct. 31, 2016, photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Erik Menendez, left, and a Feb. 22, 2018 photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Lyle Menendez. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP, File )
Menendez brothers' family to push for their release as prosecutors review 1989 case
Menendez brothers' family to push for their release as prosecutors review 1989 case
FILE - Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit with defense attorney Leslie Abramson, right, in Beverly Hills Municipal Court during a hearing, Nov. 26, 1990. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
