The Toronto Raptors posted a video celebrating Women’s History Month by asking three members of the team what made women “run the world.”
However, the answers garnered criticism, and the team is walking back the video.
The 13-second video asked, via a graphic, “Beyonce said girls run the world. Why do you think that’s true?”
Overall view at Scotiabank arena court with retro logo of Toronto Raptors during the Toronto Raptors versus Atlanta Hawks NBA regular season game at Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 28, 2020 in Toronto. The Raptors won 130-114. (Anatoliy Cherkasov/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Precious Achiuwa answered, “They birth everybody,” while Malachi Flynn said “they are the only ones who can procreate.”
Scottie Barnes’ answer was “all women are great, because they’re all queens.”
Multiple outlets threw backlash at the video, with The Toronto Sun calling it “misguided and rushed.”
The organization seemed to agree, as the video was deleted from the team’s social accounts.
“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),” the team said in a statement. “Our sincerest apologies to our players, our staff and our fans – we’ll work to do better today and every day after.”
Scottie Barnes, #4 of the Toronto Raptors, looks on against the Chicago Bulls during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 28, 2023 in Toronto. (Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
The team will hold Women’s Empowerment Month on March 14 when they face the Denver Nuggets.
