‘Ozempig’ remains Minnesota baseball team’s mascot despite uproar that name is form of fat-shaming

For a Minnesota minor league baseball team known for a history of outlandish promotions, the idea of naming its longtime live pig mascot after the weight loss drug Ozempic made perfect sense. Almost immediately after the team announced the name this week ahead of Saturday’s opening day game, criticism began pouring in on social media from people distressed by the name, calling it hurtful and insensitive. Sean Aronson, the Saints’ vice president and media relations director, said the team only wanted an amusing, topical name for its pig when it chose Ozempig from nearly 2,300 entries in its “Name the Pig Contest.” Team officials were shocked that so many people found the name offensive, Aronson said. The Saints’ pig is a beloved participant in the team’s games played at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul, about 10 miles from the much larger home of the Minnesota Twins in downtown Minneapolis.