Cleveland Cavaliers spoof video sparks Twitter backlash
The Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 2 of their semifinal playoff series with the Chicago Bulls but it seems their PR team may have lost some fans.
During the game, the organization ran an in-arena promotional video showing a male Cavs fan and his girlfriend doing a "Dirty Dancing" routine. But when the man sees she is wearing a Bulls t-shirt, he refuses to catch her prone body and tosses her to the ground.
The video is a spoof of this United Health Care ad - but some, including Bleacher Report writer Ethan Skolnick, didn't find the Cavs' attempt at humor funny.
On Thursday the team apologized for the video.
"While the video was not intended to be offensive, it was a mistake to include content that made light of domestic violence," the Cavaliers said in a statement. "Domestic violence is a very serious matter and has no place in a parody video that plays in an entertainment venue."
The Cavs marketing department was already raising eyebrows for its plan to give away 20,000 arm slings to fans as a way to pay tribute to their injured star Kevin Love. That ill-conceived promotion was scuttled but somehow this video got the green light.