I don't even know what to say. Just read it:
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Philadelphia Phillies’ new Triple-A affiliate, recently held a contest allowing fans to pick the name of its mascot. Over 7,300 fan submissions poured in; all vying for the opportunity to name the team’s oversized, furry, fun-loving pig.
The winning selection, PorkChop, only lasted a couple of days before the PC Police stepped in.
PorkChop is a great nickname. I’ve known a few guys who have picked up the nickname “Pork Chop” throughout my life, and all were oversized teddy bears.
So, what was the complaint? What's wrong with naming a mascot "PorkChop". It's not like they named a teddy bear "Muhammed" or something.
No, something much worse:
Apparently, the IronPigs received “several complaints” from local residents that “PorkChop” is a derogatory term used for Puerto Ricans in the area. So the team caved and changed the name.
"We were really unaware of any negative connotations with the word pork chop," Lehigh Valley GM Kurt Landes told the Allentown Morning Call, adding that the club did its homework before settling on the name and didn’t find any issues. "I think the name is about being fun and family friendly, so if it's offensive to anyone we certainly would prefer to have a name that everyone likes and enjoys. If it offended a few, it's a few too many."
Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go slap my forehead repeatedly until this makes sense.
