Monthly Archives: October 2024

Is the NWSL’s BOS Nation Brand Launch Really ‘So Bad It Feels Like Satire’?

by doctorads

Well the Doc opened up the old mailbag today and here’s what poured out.

Dear Dr. Ads,

There I was, minding my own business and clicking through the Boston Globe, when I came across Michael Silverman’s piece about the naming of the National Women’s Soccer League’s new Boston franchise.

Boston’s new professional women’s soccer team established its identity with what it believes is a boss move Tuesday.

The “BOS Nation Football Club” name is a play, team leaders explained, not only on “Boston” (with a nod to Logan Airport) but also on the “boss” mind-set needed by players to command attention and, ultimately, win championships here . . .

A number of billboards reading “There Are Too Many Balls In This Town” went up around Boston this past weekend, a cheekycampaign designed to show that the National Women’s Soccer League team that is scheduled to begin play in the spring of 2026 is intent on elbowing its way onto a vaunted local pro sports stage.

Kind of . . . well . . . ballsy – no, Doc?

– Jump Ball

Dear JB,

Here’s that billboard.

But wait! There’s more!

Via Michael Silverman: “A video accompanying the campaign features references to an array of ‘balls,’ such as old, new, steel, cold, and goat — the last mention followed by a quick video clip of Tom Brady saying, ‘Wait, what?’”

In general, the BOS Nation campaign has gone over like the metric system. First there was Print contributor Charlotte Beach’s blowtorching of the name itself.

BOS Nation FC is a terrible name for a sports franchise because, to put it bluntly: it’s corny as hell. “Lady Boss” culture and the “Girl Boss” discourse is over. In fact, it never started. It’s an inherently dated and regressive concept that is the opposite of empowering. “BOS Nation” is trying too hard. It wants so badly to be cool, and there’s nothing less cool than wanting to be cool.

Beach’s piece sports the “feels like satire” headline, but her thorough dismantling of this “lasagna of disrespect” should be read in its entirety.

As night follows day, the NWSL quickly moonwalked away from the balls-out advertising, as detailed by NBC News reporter Kyla Guilfoil (among others).

The National Women’s Soccer League’s newest team, Boston-based BOS Nation Football Club, apologized Wednesday after its name reveal and brand campaign launch garnered criticism online . . .

Many users on social media criticized the club’s ad for its emphasis on male athletes. “Why are we making our NWSL announcement about men?” one user on X wrote.

Other users complained that the campaign assumes that only men have balls, arguing that it makes the campaign transphobic.

The Doc’s diagnosis: The whole thing is bollocks.

Could Florida TV Execs Go to Jail for Running an Abortion-Rights Ad?

by doctorads

Well the Doc opened up the old mailbag today and here’s what poured out.

Dear Dr. Ads,

There I was, minding my own business and reading Brian Stelter’s CNN Reliable Sources newsletter, when I came across this item about the Florida Health Department’s cease-and-desist letters sent last week to WCJB in Gainesville and WFLA in Tampa.

The threat from the health department underscores the intensity of the political battle over Amendment 4, a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s constitution. The state government led by [Gov. Ron] DeSantis has campaigned aggressively against the amendment, including by running its own TV ads.

The cease-and-desist letters from John Wilson, general counsel for the state health department, appear to be part of that campaign. The letters were first reported by Orlando investigative journalist Jason Garcia and state news outlet Florida Politics.

In the letters, Wilson targeted an ad produced by the group Floridians Protecting Freedom, which is behind the “Yes on 4 Campaign” in favor of abortion rights.

What the hell, Doc – hasn’t Pudding Fingers Ron DeSantis heard of the First Amendment?

– Pudding People First

Dear PPF,

Clearly, pudding’s not the only thing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Can’t Wait for ’28) wants his fingers in.

As MSNBC’s Ja’han Jones reports, trying to bully local television stations is just the latest DeSantis attack on the abortion rights ballot measure.

The DeSantis administration recently had its election police unit investigate people who had signed a petition to get Amendment 4 on the ballot. Then the administration used taxpayer money to launch an anti-abortion website. The administration also used state money to air Orwellian television ads proclaiming that “Florida cares about women and families.”

Floridians Protecting Freedom has responded with this ad, which “depicts a woman named Caroline who became pregnant with her second child after a brain cancer diagnosis.”

This is nuts graf: “The doctors knew that if I did not end my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, and my daughter would lose her mom. Florida has now banned abortions, even in cases like mine.”

The CNN piece features this response from Florida officials.

Wilson’s letter says it is “categorically false” to claim that “current Florida law does not allow physicians to perform abortions necessary to preserve the lives and health of pregnant women.” Thus, he wrote, airing the ad is “dangerous” to the public’s health, and the health department could use its legal powers to initiate criminal proceedings.

The Doc’s diagnosis: The Florida Health Department’s approach to the First Amendment is roughly similar to Meatball Ron’s attitude toward silverware – useful at times, but not essential.

Chew on that for awhile.