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Hank Aaron’s death on Friday encouraged the Atlanta Braves to change their name in his honor.
Because Aaron was known as “Hammerin ‘Hank” when he was hitting dingers during his illustrious career, fans began to call on the Braves to change their name to Hammers.
An online petition on Change.org began circulating online after Aaron’s death.
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“The name change serves two important purposes: 1) It pays homage to an icon who has represented our city with grace and dignity for over half a century, and 2) It removes the stain on the city of having a A team name that dishonours Indigenous and Indigenous people, especially given one of the greatest tragedies in American history, the Trail of Tears, began in the region the team calls home ” , says the petition.
The petition was approaching 100 signatures on Saturday night.
The MLB team has been called upon to change its name – a Native American nickname – in light of the change of the Washington football team last summer and the upcoming change of the Cleveland Indians.
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“There is no better time to take this action given the trend started by the Washington football team, the soon-to-be-renamed Cleveland Indians, and with the Major League Baseball All-Star Game that will have held in Atlanta later this year, named to honor a person and player that the Atlantans and Americans can be proud of, ”the petition states.
There was no indication that the name would be changed. The Braves have been around for over 100 years.
“We are very proud of our team name and expect us to always be the Atlanta Braves,” Braves president Terry McGuirk told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in December.
“I would say unequivocally that the name of the Atlanta Braves will remain the Atlanta Braves. We come to that position because of… a lot of listening from our fans, the Native American community. We’ve spent the last six months trying to be successful. Of course, we’re embedded in everything we say going forward, so I’ll answer the question again: Yes, we’ll be the Atlanta Braves. “
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The Braves have said over the summer they will look to distance themselves from the use of the “tomahawk chop” movement and vocals used by spectators when fans are allowed to return to their stadium.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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