Everything That Went Wrong With BOS Nation FC’s Branding Launch
Whenever a new team joins the NWSL, there is excitement surrounding the news. As the league grows and improves, new franchises help bring more fans and players to cheer for. However, Boston’s expansion team, BOS Nation FC, didn’t exactly do anything to cheer for. From a transphobic campaign to a name that doesn’t excite fans, almost everything went wrong with BOS Nation FC’s branding.
BOS Nation FC’s Branding Missed the Mark
As the NWSL’s 15th franchise, BOS Nation FC had many examples to learn from before launching campaigns. The team, which is joining the NWSL in 2026, launched a campaign that didn’t get the reaction they might have expected. Since this isn’t Boston’s first team in the NWSL, the city was initially excited to have representation again. In the past, Boston had the Boston Breakers, which played for the WUSA from 2001 to 2003. Then, they played in the WPS from 2007 until 2012, when the league folded.
The last appearance for the Boston Breakers was when they played in the NWSL for a couple of years. From 2013 to 2017, Boston had a NWSL team to cheer for. So when Boston received an NWSL expansion team in 2023, people were rightfully excited to have a new team. However, no one expected BOS Nation FC to miss the mark completely. The launch of their branding campaign was met with criticism from almost everyone. Now, the initial excitement anyone had is replaced by doubt that BOS Nation FC can become a team to cheer for.
Choosing The Wrong Name
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With BOS Nation FC’s branding, many things went wrong, starting from the name itself. Now, the Boston Breakers have been a great name. Its existence is one reason people were initially excited about Boston having a team in the NWSL once more. But when BOS Nation FC unveiled its name, it felt like the legacy of the Boston Breakers was disrespected. While fans took to social media to criticize the campaign launch, many couldn’t ignore how the name itself was disappointing.
The team explained that the name is an anagram of Bostonian. However, many fans pointed out that “BOS Nation” is more suitable as the name for the fan base; there is now doubt if there will even be any fan base left. The official website of BOS Nation FC describes Bostonian as “a title worn proudly by millions across 23 neighborhoods and 48.4 square miles.” However, it felt like they didn’t think about those millions when choosing a name for a team that would represent them. So far, fans have offered their own suggestions of what could have been the team’s name.
Launching A Transphobic Campaign
A bigger and more serious problem is their “Too Many Balls” campaign. In a now-deleted video, BOS Nation FC posted the video for their campaign, which made it its mission to mention as many “balls” as possible. What is supposed to be a women’s soccer team had its launch campaign video filled with male sports figures such as Tom Brady.
The focus on the “balls” concept made the campaign transphobic. If, as the video said, “no balls necessary,” then why make an entire video about that concept? The NWSL is certainly not a place for transphobia. The league is filled with many LGBTQ+ role models who speak for inclusivity. Frankie de la Cretaz, an award-winning journalist, shared a picture on X at the BOS Nation FC launch party. In the picture, a person is holding a sign with “NO HOME FOR TRANSPHOBIA” written on it.
At the NWSL BOS Nation launch party: pic.twitter.com/kSDMk0gSVv
— Frankie de la Cretaz (@thefrankiedlc) October 15, 2024
Quinn, the NWSL’s first trans and non-binary player, shared their thoughts about the campaign. Quinn commented in the NWSL Instagram post featuring the campaign launch, “Feels transphobic. Yikes.” When their comment was hidden, Quinn left another comment on the post. “Love how my comment was ‘hidden by Instagram’ – calling out transphobia shouldn’t be hidden! This doesn’t represent the league and it is such poor messaging,” they wrote.
Excluding Women’s Sports Teams in Boston
Other than being transphobic, the campaign BOS Nation FC chose for their branding as a new women’s soccer team was ironically excluding women. All the sports teams included in the campaign video were men’s sports teams. The “Too Many Balls” campaign focused more on men’s sports rather than acknowledging and celebrating other women’s sports teams that already exist in Boston. Sam Mewis, USWNT’s former star, shared her thoughts about the campaign on X. “As a Massachusetts native, I really want @NWSLBoston to succeed. I also want to shout out @PWHL_Boston, @BeantownRFC, and @GoRenegades as existing women’s pro sports teams here to support!” Mewis wrote.
The problem with BOS Nation FC’s campaign and branding is that they had a lot of time to prepare for this launch. Since they were awarded the expansion in September 2023, BOS Nation FC had a chance to do things right. Ignoring other Boston-based women’s sports teams isn’t doing the right thing. As Mewis said, there are Boston Fleet (a pro women’s hockey team), Beantown RFC (a women’s rugby team), and Boston Renegades (a women’s tackle football team) to support and celebrate. They didn’t even mention the Boston Breakers. It would have been a much better campaign if BOS Nation FC included these past and present teams and added themselves to the conversation. Instead, the result felt like a campaign celebrating men’s sports or launching a “balls”-related product.
A Much Needed Apology
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After the waves of criticism that BOS Nation FC’s branding and campaign received, the team apologized through their social media accounts. They said they intended “to create a bold and buzzworthy brand launch campaign.” The statement continues, “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.”
While issuing an apology is the right step, things are missing in the apology itself. Apologizing for the LGBTQ+ community was necessary, but so was apologizing to the women’s sports teams that the campaign excluded. According to ESPN, Jennifer Epstein, controlling owner of BOS Nation FC, said in a news release, “This is an important moment for women’s sports in Boston.” However, BOS Nation FC didn’t acknowledge any team contributing to the history of “women’s sports in Boston.” Along with this apology, BOS Nation FC needs to reconsider its name choice. After all, if the fans themselves aren’t excited about the name, then who will proudly wear merch with BOS Nation FC on it?
Trying to Fix What Went Wrong
Along with the statement issued by BOS Nation FC to apologize, the team also deleted the campaign video. They removed the “Too Many Balls” video campaign from their accounts.
They’re gonna delete that video….right???
— Bethany Balcer (@bethanybalcer) October 15, 2024
When BOS Nation FC revealed the branding and the video, Racing Louisville’s striker, Bethany Balcer, shared her thoughts on X. “They’re gonna delete that video….right???” she wrote. There was also a “toomanyballs.com” URL that came with the branding. It doesn’t work anymore.
Another campaign-related thing that BOS Nation FC deleted is a T-shirt they planned to sell. The T-shirt had “Too Many Balls” written on it and was available through the team’s online store. After the criticism, it was only right to remove the product completely, which is what BOS Nation FC actually did. However, the store still features many products with BOS Nation FC on it despite the fans’ apparent rejection of the name. The fans have even started a petition calling for the team to change their name.
What’s Next For BOS Nation FC
The entire situation surrounding BOS Nation FC’s branding is disappointing because it could have been avoided. They shouldn’t have released the transphobic and male-centered video. It is even worse when people realize how the all-female Boston Unity Soccer Partners group owns the team. As an all-female ownership, one would have thought the branding would put women at the center. Instead, the branding removed them completely and also added transphobia to the mix.
While the apology was the right thing to do, BOS Nation FC has to develop a better campaign. The team still hasn’t revealed a crest, which gives fans some hope that the team will change the name. No matter what happens next with BOS Nation FC and their branding, they have taught a lesson to future NWSL expansions on things not to do. It is a moment they might want to forget. It is also disappointing that the club is already tainted by such a branding and a campaign. Hopefully, their next steps will be much better. Perhaps they would start listening to the criticism voiced by fans, players, and everyone else.
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