Toronto Raptors are SLAMMED over cringeworthy Women’s History Month video of players praising ‘girls because they birth everybody’: Team issues apology and deletes post as critics attack bizarre focus ‘on our biology’
An attempt by the Toronto Raptors to commemorate Women’s History Month has been slammed as ‘tone deaf’ over player statements contained in a team-produced video.
‘Girls run the world because they birth everybody,’ forward Precious Achiuwa said in the video that has since been deleted from social media.
‘They are the only one that can procreate,’ added point guard Malachi Flynn.
The video begins with a question being posed to the players.
‘Beyoncé said girls run the world,’ read the prompt. ‘Why do you think that’s true?’
An attempt by the Toronto Raptors to commemorate Women’s History Month has been slammed as ‘tone deaf’ over player statements contained in a team-produced video. ‘Girls run the world because they birth everybody,’ forward Precious Achiuwa (right) said on a team-produced video that has since been deleted from social media. ‘They are the only one that can procreate,’ added point guard Malachi Flynn (left)
Flynn and Achiuwa were slammed for allegedly reducing women to reproductive vessels
Second-year forward Scottie Barnes responded that ‘all women are great because they are all queens.’
However, the team ultimately issued an apology after Flynn and Achiuwa were slammed for allegedly reducing women to reproductive vessels.
‘The @Raptors should spend the next month providing education to their players on ways women are awesome beyond our biology,’ read one tweet. ‘Not all women can, or want to, give birth.’
‘This was the most tone-deaf thing I’d seen in a while,’ read a tweet from sports media writer Andrew Bucholtz. ‘Great work on deciding to post that video, Raptors.’
‘How bad were the other responses that these were the best ones?’ asked Bleacher Report’s molly Morrison.
The Raptors, who have a Women’s Empowerment Night scheduled for March 14, deleted the video from social media and issued an apology.
‘We’re an organization that prides itself on doing the right thing when it comes to inclusion and representation, and we made a mistake [Tuesday],’ read the team statement. ‘Our sincerest apologies to our players, our staff and our fans – we’ll work to do better today and every day after.’
Not everyone was pleased to see the Raptors’ statement.
Former NBA center Andrew Bogut ripped the apology, portraying it as an attempt to make amends with the trans community.
‘Soft as butter @Raptors apologising because one of their players said only women can procreate, during Women History Month!
‘I’ll say it for you,’ Bogut continued.
‘Only WOMEN can have babies.
‘Media: Not triggered or angry, laughing at how stupid this ideology is!’
But the crux of the criticism seemed to focus on players placing value on women strictly for their role in reproduction.
‘Transphobes bending over backwards to make the raptors blunder about trans women and ‘woke culture’ instead of seeing the clear insinuation through that clip that men only view women as objects to reproduce with,’ tweeted one critic. ‘what is wrong with y’all.’
Not everyone was pleased to see the Raptors’ statement. Former NBA center Andrew Bogut ripped the apology, portraying it as an attempt to make amends with the trans community
The crux of the criticism seemed to focus on valuing women strictly for their reproductive role