Charlotte Hornets apologize after a gift-giving skit with young fan went awry
The Charlotte Hornets have issued an apology for a recent skit involving a gift and a young fan.
During the second quarter of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, the Hornets performed a skit where a child was brought down to the court to meet the team's mascot, who was dressed as Santa Claus, CBS Sports reported. A letter from the boy to Santa asking for a PlayStation 5, was read aloud. Then a cheerleader gave the boy a bag containing the video game console. While the cameras rolled, the boy seemed elated to have received the console.
Once the cameras stopped rolling, though, the video game station was taken away from the boy and he was given a jersey instead. The boy's uncle was told that he would not be able to keep the console. A clip of the incident went viral on social media.
The Hornets issued an apology on Tuesday, saying that the skit "missed the mark" and "included bad decision making and poor communication."
"Simply put, we turned the ball over and we apologize. We have reached out to the family and are committed to not only making it right but to exceeding expectations. We will be providing the fan with the PS5 that he should have taken home last night along with a VIP experience to a future game," the team said, according to CBS Sports. "Our goal is and will remain to elevate the guest experience for every person that enters Spectrum Center, and to show our fans how much we appreciate their relentless support."
The Hornets have won seven games this season and lost 19, according to ESPN.
Basketball star Michael Jordan sold his majority ownership in the team to a group of investors last year for a reported $3 billion.
