Cleveland Cavaliers In-Arena Promo Video Insensitive to Domestic Violence? Watch Clip Here

The Cleveland Cavaliers showed an in-game parody video on Wednesday which immediately backfired on the team.

The video was supposed to be funny but it turned out otherwise as it highlighted domestic violence instances among couples. The Chicago Tribune said the video, which was shown during the Cavs' match against the Chicago Bulls at the Quicken Loans Arena, was a parody of a commercial and a scene from the movie "Dirty Dancing."

In the video, a male Cavs fan was seen tossing his girlfriend but failed to catch her after he noticed that she was wearing a Bulls shirt under her apron. He then tells her that he was unaware of her being a Bulls fan.

"The girlfriend is later shown wincing in pain and icing her head, while a voiceover warns not to 'make the same mistake she made.' She's then shown cuddling up to him on a couch, icing her wounds and wearing an 'All In' Cavs shirt," added the Chicago Tribune.

Though many fans found the video amusing, it was still met with a lot of criticism, as seen on social media. As what the Chicago Tribune pointed out, "domestic violence is never funny."

A similar ESPN said that the Cavs already issued an apology on Thursday for the "insensitive" video.

"We ran a 1-minute in-arena video that was intended to be a humorous spoof on a popular commercial centered on a song and dance from the classic movie 'Dirty Dancing. While the video was not intended to be offensive, it was a mistake to include content that made light of domestic violence," the statement further read.

The team noted that the issue of domestic violence is a very serious matter and should not have been included in a parody video made to entertain people. "We sincerely apologize to those who have been affected by domestic violence for the obvious negative feelings caused by being exposed to this insensitive video," the Cavs added in their statement.

ESPN said the marketing team and the game operations crew of the Cavs were the ones responsible for the "ill-conceived" video and they have reportedly met to discuss where they went wrong and how a similar instance could be prevented in the future.

The team is expected not to give penalties or disciplinary actions because of the controversial video. It has instead expressed its continued support to "domestic violence-related causes and efforts."

"We will continue to proudly work with our regional partners at the Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center in support of their numerous programs to end domestic violence in our country once and for all," added the Cavs.

(Video uploaded by Jimmy Gotham)