The CFL team later apologized to its fan base and said the campaign was developed by women on its marketing team.
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The Saskatchewan Roughriders are feeling the heat after an email campaign targeting female fans backfired, with some accusing them on social media of promoting a misogynistic and toxic eating culture.
A poster included in the email, which was sent on Tuesday and is circulating on social media, features the viral TikTok trend “Girl Math,” justifying frivolous purchases in a sometimes self-deprecating way. It is used as a false logic. Examples of this include exchanging an item for another item in a store or considering it free because no physical funds were used during the transaction.
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The title of a mass email from the Roughriders' ticket office was, “Cheaper tickets = free drinks at Girl Mass!” The email was part of a campaign to sell tickets to women for upcoming Roughriders games.
Along with the phrase “Girls are good at math – it's basically free”, “Big savings – no influencer code needed”, “Literally the best excuse to wear cute matching outfits”, “Stairs Climb and get seltzer,” posted the slogan. It was also included in the electronic poster, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of some fans.
People on social media have spoken out against the campaign, saying it reinforces stereotypes that women are bad at math, want to be influential, are obsessed with clothes and are obsessed with dieting. .
Larena Hover, professor of sport management and associate dean of the Graduate School of Kinesiology and Health at the University of Regina, said the Roughriders' approach is outdated.
“I understand that trend, but as a Roughriders season ticket holder and a woman, I feel like they're stereotyping the female fan base,” Hoover said in an interview Wednesday.
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Hover said it's important to understand that this type of marketing may be appealing to certain segments of the population, and that's not a bad thing, but that organizations like the Roughriders may be appealing to people in general. He said that people should refrain from becoming
“We have to go beyond that,” Hover said. “Women are much more diverse than many sports organizations realize.”
The Saskatchewan Roughriders issued an “unequivocal” apology to their fan base in an email following the backlash.
“The Roughriders staff is 50% female, and while the “Math for Girls” email was conceived, developed and deployed by women within our marketing team, we know the message resonates with our female fans. I heard that it wasn't shown. ” Saskatchewan Roughriders marketing director Jacqueline Hurlburt said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “We will use this as a learning opportunity to do better in the future.”
Criticism continued on social media throughout the day Wednesday. One post called the ad “abhorrent, disrespectful, misogynistic and disgusting” and said the Roughriders had lost a lifelong fan.
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“I'm not 'earning' seltzer or wearing matching clothes,” another woman said in a social media post. She said, “I go to games to cheer and enjoy the atmosphere, and I don't care about the calories burned or the number of steps I take.''
Since pop star Taylor Swift started attending Kansas City Chiefs games, the NFL has had its highest number of female viewers ever.
The email said they would sell tickets to the “best patio in the state” for a “good price, right?” It came with the warning, “Because missing out on this is definitely worse than running out of Cinnamon Dolches Sprinkles!”
Last year, Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL), which operates Mosaic Stadium, faced backlash after Mayor Sandra Masters called Tourism Regina's marketing strategy “sexist and wrong.” .
The campaign included the phrases “Show me your Regina” and “A place that rhymes with fun.”
The public outcry led to an independent investigation into the campaign examining the source of the tagline, which many consider to be in bad taste.
— With files from Darrell Davis
AnAmato@Postmedia.com
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