SOMEBODY IN THE Cleveland Cavaliers’ marketing department thought it would be a good idea if their in-game skit on Wednesday featured a man body-slamming his partner and forcing her to change what team she supports.
The video starts with a man and a woman dancing to ‘Time of My Life’ from Dirty Dancing. However, when he notices she’s wearing a Chicago Bulls t-shirt, he throws her to the ground.
At the end of the ad, she is shown with an ice pack held to her head and wearing a Cavs’ shirt.
Now, while the 60 second clip is clearly an attempt at satire, it is tone deaf in an era when a host of high-profile US sports stars in particular are facing — or have been found guilty of — domestic violence charges.
A number of members of the NBA media expressed their concern about the video: