Minor League Baseball, affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, started the 2024 season in a little warmer weather than expected even before the first pitch was thrown.
The St. Paul Saints, who play in the International League, named their living-breathing pig mascot Ozempig, after the popular weight-loss drug Ozempic.
Not everyone thought it was a home run. The Saints came under fire shortly after announcing his name last weekend, with some seeing it as fat shaming.
Sean Aronson, the Saints’ executive vice president and director of media relations, told The Associated Press on Friday that the Saints chose Ozempig simply because they wanted to give their mascot a fun and popular name. Aronson said many officials were stunned by the name, finding it offensive.
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This photo provided by the St. Paul Saints shows a pig named Ozempig at a farm in Wisconsin on March 28. (St. Paul Saints Baseball, via AP)
“In today’s world, people don’t want to be disrespected and they don’t want to be made to feel a certain way. I’m not saying they’re wrong for how they feel. ” he said. “But I can tell you there was no malice. There was no malice. When we were considering the name, there wasn’t even a discussion in the room of, ‘This might offend some people.'”
Fans were mainly offended by the backstory, which included Pig being embarrassed about gaining weight and trying to stay in shape.
The Saints are no strangers to rough-and-tumble promotions, having played in the Independent American Association from 2006 to 2020 before entering the minor league baseball system. Fun is usually secondary for the team.
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In 2013, the Saints played a game without referees. Instead, an umpire would call pitches behind the plate, and a jury of Little Leaguers would rule on first and third base, and the umpire could overrule them.
2013 St. Paul Saints home opener against the New Jersey Jackals. (Marlin Levison/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
The organization made a fuss over Anthony Weiner’s sexting scandal in 2011 by giving away “Tweet Wiener Boxer Shorts” to the first 1,501 fans over the age of 18.
Crash Davis, played by Kevin Costner in the popular baseball movie “Bull Durham,” might say it best.
“This game is fun, okay? It’s fun, oh my gosh—-“
Saints fans rushed to defend their team, and Aronson said he understands where others’ positions are rooted. However, the pig’s name remains the same.
“We know how we came up with the name in the first place and we had no problem with the name. But after discussing it, we decided to keep it,” he added. .
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The Saints were scheduled to start the season Friday night, but it was postponed due to weather. The team will face the Columbus Clippers on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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