‘Ozempig’ remains St. Paul Saint’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.

The St. Paul Saints quickly found out that not everyone was amused by the pig’s name, Ozempig. Almost immediately after the team announced the name this week ahead of Friday’s opening day game, criticism began pouring in on social media from people distressed by the name, saying it belittled people who are overweight.

A team official says they understand why the name upset some people but know they had good intentions in selecting the name and plan to stick with it despite criticism.