A Georgia summer collegiate baseball team is facing pressure from a doctors’ group that promotes plant-based eating and animal rights to change its name from Macon Bacon.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has sent a letter urging the team to adopt a healthier and more compassionate name, WMAZ-TV reported.
The group suggested some alternatives, such as Macon Berries, Macon Kale, or Macon Avocados.
The letter also offered to sponsor a vegan night at the team’s stadium, Luther Williams Field, if the team agrees to change its name.
The group’s president, Dr. Neal Barnard, said that bacon is linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, and that pigs are intelligent and sensitive animals who suffer in factory farms.
“We hope you’ll agree that it’s time for a rebrand that reflects your team’s values and promotes health and kindness,” Barnard wrote.
The team’s president, Brandon Raphael, said he was surprised by the letter and that he has no plans to change the team’s name, which was chosen by fans in an online contest in 2017.
“We’re not here to promote bacon. We’re here to have fun,” Raphael said. “We’re a baseball team. We’re not a health organization.”
Raphael said he respects the group’s opinion but that he thinks most fans love the team’s name and logo, which features a smiling pig wearing a chef’s hat and holding a baseball bat.
“We’re not going to change our name. We’re very happy with it,” Raphael said. “We think it’s one of the best names in baseball.”
