The Chicago White Sox recently made history—but not in the way fans had hoped. On Saturday, September 28, the team set the MLB record for the most losses in a regular season, a feat no franchise wants to claim. But what could have been a moment of utter defeat has instead become an example of effective crisis communications. In a season full of missteps, the White Sox communications team has leaned into the narrative, embracing the failure and making fun of themselves on social media. Remarkably, this approach is helping salvage their public image.

The White Sox’s social media team has been having some fun with the record-breaking low, as evidenced by a recent post featuring their mascot, Southpaw, dressed in a Men in Black suit. Holding a neuralyzer (the memory-erasing device from the movie), the caption reads: “Look right here we’re just going to wipe away your memory.” It’s a clever way of poking fun at their dismal season, using humor as a way to deflect some of the inevitable criticism and disappointment from fans.

This self-deprecation is something they’ve been employing throughout their underwhelming season. In earlier posts, they have referenced their consistent losses, but rather than shy away, they’ve owned it. Their consistent lack of run support was something they poked fun at in tweets such as, “FINAL: the number of runs we scored was not greater than the number of runs they scored,” and, “FINAL: the other team scored more runs than us.”

Humor, when appropriate, can help turn a painful reality into a joke. This strategy of self-awareness is smart, and more importantly, it works. It helps the team reclaim the narrative and diffuses some of the anger and frustration their fans have been feeling throughout the season. The White Sox are not tone-deaf to their situation—instead of ignoring their poor performance or making excuses, they’re acknowledging it, just with a smile. It’s a refreshing change from the typical PR spin that tries to gloss over failures.

Brands and teams often find themselves in tough situations, and the White Sox’s approach provides a masterclass in how to handle it. By owning the narrative and making light of their failures, they are transforming what could have been a painful experience into an opportunity to engage with fans in an authentic, humorous way. It doesn’t change the fact that they had a terrible season, but it does keep the fans entertained and sometimes that’s the best possible outcome.