The St. Paul Saints announced the topical name for the tiny pig that will deliver baseballs and provide refreshments for umpires during the first half of the 2024 season. But the swine's moniker, "Ozempig," has some folks accusing the minor league team of body shaming as it described the pig's weight — and expected gain in mass — on social media and detailed its fictional weight loss journey in a blog post announcing the new name.
The team has employed a pig to carry water and baseballs to its home plate umpires for more than 30 years. The Saints recently began using two pigs per season, due to how quickly they grow.
Sean Aronson, the team's vice president and director of broadcasting and media relations, said he doesn't plan on changing the name.
"We've never been in the business of poking fun at anything," he said in an interview, adding that he sympathizes with some of the critics on social media.
More than 160 folks commented on Instagram alone, where responses ranged from "this is not funny" to "big swing and a miss" and pledges from some to sit out the team's home games this season. Ozempic, a drug meant to manage glucose levels for people with Type 2 diabetes, has been surrounded by controversy lately as celebrities and social media influencers promoted it as a way to short-term weight loss.
Over on Facebook, a similar post has garnered a more positive reaction. The majority of responses, as of Wednesday morning, were thumbs-up and laughing face emojis.
Aronson said the name "Ozempig" was chosen from nearly 2,300 fan submissions this year. He added that in announcing the name, he tries to give the pigs "a little backstory."
"The only thing I think of when writing these backstories is being creative, sometimes absurd, and the ball pig itself," Aronson said.
Saints staff selected 20 finalists from that contest, which is sponsored by the Star Tribune, and voted on their favorites. This year, Ozempig came out on top after a few rounds of internal voting and a debate among staff.
Fan submissions are regularly topical, Aronson said, adding that it's difficult to compare how this year's backlash to the team's choice of name compares to previous efforts. In 2017, the team took heat for naming one of its pigs "Alternative Fats," a nod to former presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway's assertion that then-President Donald Trump's inauguration was the most widely attended in history.
"This collaborative effort between the Saints and our fans has led to great ball pig names like Pablo Pigasso, Little Red Porkette, Alternative Fats, Boarack Ohama, Slumhog Millionaire, and last year with Mud Grant and Squealon Musk," Aronson said. "We're excited to add Ozempig to this creative list."
The team's atheist nights have also come under fire over the years. Aronson said one iteration drew about 1,000 phone calls alone.
Still, the typical ball pig announcement garners a handful of responses. Recent posts by the team have also elicited only a few likes and comments.
