Saskatchewan Roughriders apologize after ad using 'girl math' sparks backlash from some fans

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have apologized after one of its ads drew criticism from fans who said it promotes negative stereotypes and toxic diet culture.

"We unequivocally apologize," the message reads. 

Earlier this week, the football club sent an email to season ticket holders with an ad that read,"Proficient in girl math, it's basically free."

It is followed by lines that read, "Literally the best excuse for cute matching outfits" and "Take the stairs. Earn the seltzers."

The ad pulls from a popular social media trend on TikTok called "girl math." It's a social media hashtag that is used when people explain mental accounting decisions that aren't always mathematically sound.

Some examples include returning a dress and then buying another item with the returned money, or preloading a coffee card and later buying a coffee, which is considered "free" because the money didn't come directly from your account. 

One of the people who received the Roughriders' email was Anne Marie Sauer, a 15-year season ticket holder with her husband. She was not happy when she opened her email.

"I lost my mind. It was a case of stereotype after stereotype, negative against girls, against women. I was gobsmacked that they would take that approach to their promotional material," Sauer said. 

She also took exception to the "earn the seltzers" line.

"'Take the stairs and earn the seltzers' did it to me," she said. "Toxic diet culture, how you have to look a certain way and you have to just eat certain things."

Some other fans expressed their dismay on social media, saying the ad missed the mark and calling it "misogynistic."

In an email to season ticket holders on Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club apologized for their