The Wizards “apologized Thursday for an April Fools’ joke that led to condemnation on social media,” according to Liam Griffin of the WASHINGTON TIMES. The prank during Wednesday’s game against the 76ers featured a blindfolded fan who tried a half-court shot for a chance to win $10,000. He missed, but the mascots on the court “pretended he drained it, handing him an oversized check.” The mascot then “took the check away and offered an autographed jersey and courtside tickets.” Critics on social media called the prank “rough,” “brutal” and “mean.” The reaction was “intense enough to draw the apology from the Wizards,” who said that the skit “was planned and no fans were psychologically harmed” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 4/2). THE ATHLETIC’s Josh Robbins noted a Monumental Basketball spokesperson, the company that includes the Wizards, the Capitals and the Mystics, said Thursday that “the three ‘fans’ who attempted half-court shots are friends of Monumental Sports & Entertainment employees and were in on the joke.” However, that “wasn’t clear at the time of the skit, or in the intervening hours before the team’s apology” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/2).
