PETA Urges MLB to Stop Offending Cows: Replace ‘Bullpen’ With ‘Arm Barn’

HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 27: Jose Urquidy #65 of the Houston Astros warms up in the bullpen prior to Game Two of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves at Minute Maid Park on October 27, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

As scrutiny surrounds Major League Baseball’s World Series, PETA couldn’t help from getting in on the action. MOOOVE over bullpen, pitchers may soon be warming up in the “arm barn.”

A quick rundown of the various controversies hitting the World Series, starting with it being played in Atlanta after MLB deemed them unfit to host an All-Star Game. The Astros continue to be marred by a major cheating scandal, the Braves are giving their tomahawk chop gesture national attention and the always polarizing former president Donald Trump will be in the crowd Saturday night.

Add another one to the list, as PETA urges MLB to reconsider calling the spot on the field where pitchers warm up the “bullpen.”

“Strike out the word ‘bullpen,’” the statement from PETA reads. “Which references the holding area where terrified bulls are kept before slaughter, in favor of a more modern, animal-friendly term. PETA’s suggestion? The arm barn!”

“Bullpen” refers to the area of a “bull’s pen” where bulls are held before they are slaughtered—it’s a word with speciesist roots & we can do better than that.

Switching to “arm barn” would be a home run for baseball fans, players, and animals ?⚾️ pic.twitter.com/2FzSpDG9mQ

— Arm Barn (@peta) October 28, 2021

“Words matter, and baseball ‘bullpens’ devalue talented players and mock the misery of sensitive animals,” PETA EVP Tracy Reiman added. “PETA encourages Major League Baseball coaches, announcers, players, and fans to changeup their language and embrace the ‘arm barn’ instead.”

Earlier this week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred supported Atlanta’s tomahawk chop gesture and acknowledged avoiding politics is becoming “harder than it used to be.”

“We try to stay apolitical,” Manfred added. “And like to keep the focus on the field, on the game.” Manfred likely didn’t expect his next political controversy to arise at the hand of PETA only 24 hours later.

The term “bullpen” has been used in baseball for the last 100 years, with multiple claims as to how it originated, one being that it’s a temporary holding cell for pitchers. If Manfred supports the tomahawk chop, it’s unlikely that he’ll cave to PETA’s demands and eliminate “bullpen” after 100 years of use. But credit PETA for generating publicity and at least offering a clever replacement.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet Newsletter
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!