Toronto Raptors delete Women's Day video after backlash

Mar 2 2023, 4:50 pm

March is officially Women’s History Month, and just like several other organizations, the Toronto Raptors decided to pay tribute to women across the world in a video posted to Twitter.

However, the clip was poorly received by many people, who found the contents of the video to be insensitive, and basically equated it to saying women “are only good for creating babies.”

The Raptors posted the video to their social media on Wednesday with the caption, “Happy Women’s Empowerment Month! It’s important that we not only celebrate but empower women both on and off the court.”

The video begins with the text, “Beyoncé said Girls Run The World, why do you think that’s true?”

Several Raptors players, including Malachi Flynn, Precious Achiuwa, and Scottie Barnes provided answers to the question, but not everyone thought the responses uplifted women.

“They are the only one that can procreate,” Flynn responded to the question.

“They birth everybody,” Raptors forward Achiuwa said.

“All women are great because they’re all queens,” Barnes answered.

The clip, which has since been deleted from the Raptors Twitter page, picked up lots of backlash on social media.

Before the video was deleted, several people managed to screen-record it, meaning the backlash didn’t stop even after the video was wiped from social media.

Many wondered who approved the video in the first place, and suggested that the clip should’ve been squashed as soon as it became clear that no sufficient answers were provided.

Several people criticized tying the value of a woman to her “ability to give birth,” and pointed out that not all women have the desire or ability to have children.

Here’s hoping the video is just a fluke, because the Raptors have actually participated in women’s empowerment activities many times in the past.

Just last month, the Raptors empowered young women in sport by participating in workshops with several girls’ basketball teams at the MLSE Launchpad in Toronto.

Kimia Afshar MehrabiKimia Afshar Mehrabi

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