Cleveland Cavaliers Promo Uh-Oh

May 7, 2015 – The Cleveland Cavaliers might be in the playoffs but their marketing team may be headed to the bench following the negative reaction to their new campaign which some find to be black and blue with references to domestic violence.

The organization ran an in-arena promotional video showing a Cavs fan and his girlfriend doing a “Dirty Dancing” routine, spoofing a United Health Care ad. But in the Cavaliers parody, when the man sees she is wearing a Bulls t-shirt, he neglects to catch her flying body and instead tosses her to the ground.

The parody voiceover then says: “When it’s playoff basketball time, you have to be all-in. Don’t make the same mistake she made.”

Later, the woman is shown holding an ice pack on her head and saying, “Well, I’m all-in now.”

Many didn’t see the humor in the clip and Twitter lit up including a string of tweets from Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick:

Didn’t mean to start firestorm. Thought video was tone deaf. Don’t think anyone should b fired. Just think it should have been thought thru.

— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) May 7, 2015

This was in-game video RT @FearTheSword: I see the spoof……. BUT WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA https://t.co/PhUG2cuUN9

— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) May 7, 2015

“While the video was not intended to be offensive, it was a mistake to include content that made light of domestic violence,” the Cleveland 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.”

So was the Cleveland Cavaliers video parody Funny Or Offensive? Vote and Comment now!