BOS Nation Football Club’s “Too Many Balls” campaign, which the organization initially anticipated would attract fans, came up short.

A day after the unveiling went live, the team issued an apology.

“While we had hoped to create a bold and buzzworthy brand launch campaign, we missed the mark,” the club said in a social media post on Wednesday.

The “Too Many Balls” campaign accompanied the BOS Nation Football Club brand unveiling on Tuesday, and it didn’t take long for people from all over to criticize the organization’s marketing strategy.

A video introducing the campaign included cameos from Boston sports legends, today’s athletes, and messaging “playfully pointing out that in a city filled with championships, its sports heroes need not all be male.”

No athletes from the area’s women’s sports teams appeared in the roughly minute-long clip. It also featured a viral video of a fan throwing out a first pitch at Fenway Park that hit a photographer behind home plate in the groin area.

The video remained posted on NWSL’s X account for most of Wednesday before being taken down by 5 p.m.

“Boston: A city of champions,” a narrator in the video says. “A legacy filled with trophies, banners, rings and balls. Old balls. New balls. Steel balls. Cold balls. Even GOAT balls. Yeah, Boston loves its balls, but maybe there are too many balls in this town.”

“So let’s add a new chapter to our city’s legacy with new idols,” the narrator continues, “new dreams and a new league to cheer for: The National Women’s Soccer League. For every person in every neighborhood, across every square mile, this is our city, our new team, our new nation. We are BOS Nation where anything is possible. No balls necessary.”

Community members gathered for an event Tuesday evening where Boston Unity Soccer Partners, an all-female ownership group, announced the team name, while criticism continued on social media.

BOS Nation FC is slated to kick off its inaugural season in 2026 as the 15th franchise of the National Women’s Soccer League at Franklin Park’s White Stadium, a plan that has drawn the ire of a community group that has taken its fight to the courts.

“We fully acknowledge that the content of the campaign did not reflect the safe and welcoming environment we strive to create for all, and we apologize to the LGBTQ+ community and to the trans community in particular for the hurt we caused,” the team said in its apology Wednesday.

“We are proud to be part of the most inclusive sports league in the world and are committed to upholding the unifying values that define the NWSL and our club,” the apology continues. “Thank you to all who have held us accountable by calling for us to do better. We hear you and we will, together.”

One person on X responded to the apology Wednesday afternoon: “It was also just bad. At its face, defining women on the existence of men is just a really weak marketing play in 2024 also in a women’s pro league that’s in its second decade. Devalues the product and minimizes the players’ excellence.”

Another chimed in, “Give the nod to Franklin Park, a major piece of the very cool, very Boston Emerald Necklace. Could’ve been a super positive campaign (about) adding a jewel to the crown of Boston sporting excellence, past and present. Just sad it went this way.”

Jennifer Epstein, controlling owner of BOS Nation FC and Boston Unity Soccer Partners, appeared on Tuesday’s CBS Mornings Plus, speaking about the team name and brand unveil.

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“It starts with the word ‘Bostonian,’ those nine letters, that make up that word, which are so meaningful to those of us that come from there,” Epstein said. “When you rearrange those letters it’s an anagram, and you get BOS Nation.”

“That was very intentional because this team name is fan-centric, fan-first,” she added. “Our new identity is made up of the diverse communities that live in our strong city and have a love or will soon have a love for the world’s beautiful game.”