PETA Demands MLB Stop Using ‘Offensive’ Word
PETA Demands MLB Stop Using ‘Offensive’ Word
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, also known as PETA, is an internationally recognized organization whose stated purpose is helping ensure the safety of animals.
Because the group sometimes takes fairly outlandish positions in the pursuit of its ultimate goals, reactions to its various proposals are generally pretty polarized. Some are for, others against.
This week, PETA somehow managed to come up with a proposal that everyone disagreed with.
Somehow, against all odds, the organization managed to turn everyone off.
In an Oct. 28 press release, PETA called for the banning of the term “bullpen” in Major League Baseball (MLB).
“Words matter, and baseball ‘bullpens’ devalue talented players and mock the misery of sensitive animals,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said. “PETA encourages Major League Baseball coaches, announcers, players, and fans to changeup their language and embrace the ‘arm barn’ instead.”
PETA then went on to add that “cows are hung upside down and their throats are slit in the meat industry, while in rodeos, gentle bulls are tormented into kicking and bucking by being electro-shocked or prodded—all are typically held in a ‘bullpen’ while they await their cruel fate.”
Naturally, social media had some reactions to this development:
If PETA is this upset of the term “bullpen” because it’s insensitive to cows just wait until they find out what a baseball is made from… pic.twitter.com/gAiwGS9gwO
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) October 28, 2021
PETA is what happens when you take a fundamentally good idea and then put the biggest fucking weirdos on the planet in charge of it https://t.co/CZj3DUmQP8
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) October 28, 2021
PETA, the media, etc….they only stand up when they’re forced to in order to maintain a modicum of credibility with the public. Stop falling for it. PETA doesn’t care about animals. pic.twitter.com/uVVfHPqVDm
— Pureblood – Marburg is the next Plandemic (@jacksonianinfla) October 27, 2021
Big picture, it’s not hard to see why folks are up in arms over PETA’s suggestion. This baseball season has been filled with a lot of lighthearted fun. Models taking their shirts off, adult movie stars wearing revealing outfits, casual debates about poor officiating – that kind of stuff.
Devin Booker’s reaction to Kendall’s provocative Halloween costume. https://t.co/zVVOuYe4bM
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 28, 2021
Meanwhile this adds a certain heaviness and weirdness to the proceedings that, frankly, baseball fans don’t need.
Will anyone ultimately take PETA’s suggestion seriously enough to incorporate it? Obviously not. Will it earn the organization some headlines for 24 hours? Clearly, yes.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
