The National Women’s Soccer League’s newest expansion team in Boston has issued an apology after its social media video launching the team’s name and brand ‘missed the mark.’
The Boston-based football club revealed its name — BOS Nation FC, an anagram for ‘Bostonian’ — and its black-and-green team colors on Tuesday in a campaign centered around the city having ‘too many balls.’
‘Old balls, new balls. Steel balls. Cold balls. Even GOAT ball. Yeah, Boston loves its balls, but maybe there’s too many balls,’ said the launch video, which tagged and included footage of male sports teams in Boston, including the New England Patriots and Boston Celtics. ‘This is our city, our new team, our new nation. BOS Nation… no balls necessary.’
The rollout was instantly met with criticism for not only equating gender to body parts, but for omitting the city’s female teams, such as the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and the Boston Renegades of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA). Seattle Reign FC’s Quinn, the first openly transgender and non-binary athlete in the NWSL, said the video ‘feels transphobic,’ while another added it was ‘ignorant.’
BOS Nation FC: ‘We missed the mark’
BOS Nation FC, which is scheduled to begin play the 2026 season, admitted the attempt to make a ‘bold and buzzworthy brand launch’ fell short.
‘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,’ BOS Nation FC said. ‘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 football club removed the launch video from X and Instagram amid the backlash and promised to make better decisions moving forward: ‘Thank you to all who have held us accountable by calling for us to do better. We hear and we will, together.’