https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGHAxbSEBZs

“Don’t make the same mistake she did.”

At halftime of Wednesday night’s Game 2 between the Cavs-Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena, a playoff skit was played on the big screen. It showed a man in Cavaliers garb and what appears to be his wife/girlfriend in Bulls gear. At the end of the skit, the man throws her to the ground, and the closing scene shows her with an ice pack on her head wearing a Cavaliers shirt.

“Don’t make the same mistake she did.”

Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report sent out a tweet about the “tone deaf” skit.

https://twitter.com/nwilborn19/status/596172151071182848

Cavs sideline reporter Allie Clifton claims it’s a parody of this commercial for United Healthcare, but the timbre is way different from the one the Cavs showed.

Earlier this morning, the full sketch was on Vimeo, but it was made private, so obviously someone realized they made a mistake.

Some are going to say this an overreaction, as they already have. Trivializing domestic violence isn’t funny, whether it’s a parody or not.

Plus, the message of the skit appears simple: support the Cavs, or violence will ensue, specifically violence against a spouse.

Yes, people are going to mention the fact it’s a riff on the final Dirty Dancing number, since before the wife/girlfriend in the skit is thrown to the ground she jumps up for the hold Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze do in the film.

We’re huge Swayze fans, and he didn’t throw Grey to the floor because she wasn’t supporting his team.

Don’t make the same mistake the Cavs did and try to make excuses for why this is funny or just some lighthearted fun. It was a mistake, and sends the worst possible message to fans. There was nothing fun or funny about it.

UPDATE:

The Cavs have issued an update apologizing for the video, via Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck:

ESPN’s Keith Olbermann said it all on his show tonight:

https://youtu.be/GdrzheHZm3Y?start=182

(H/T @steven_lebron)