MACON, GA. — A collegiate summer baseball team, the Macon Bacon, recently shared its response to an activist group that put up a billboard and wrote a letter urging the team to change their name.

Anna Herby, the nutrition education program manager for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, stated in a letter that Macon Bacon’s glorification of bacon sends the wrong message to fans. 

She asked in the letter that the team change the name to “Macon Facon Bacon” or “Macon Mushroom Bacon” to promote plant-based meat alternatives.

The group also helped pay for a billboard near the Macon Bacon stadium that told the city to “keep bacon off your plate.”

On June 21, Brandon Raphael, the Macon Bacon team president, responded with a statement defending the Macon Bacon name.  

“While we are disappointed in the disapproval of our branding from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the Macon Bacon do not view ourselves as a glorification of an unhealthy lifestyle; rather, we pride ourselves on being a fun-natured organization focused on bringing families and communities together of Middle Georgia and beyond,” Raphael said. “We take great pride in the Macon Bacon naming rights (which our fans named), as we get to witness the smiles and laughter from our fan base – who have supported our branding since our inception – that stems from the brand’s lighthearted and playful nature. We are a family-friendly organization, and we are extremely grateful for our fans.”

Since the letter, Macon Bacon, received national attention and even held a press conference on June 23 expressing its intention to remain loyal to its bacon name.

The Macon Bacon have played in the Coastal Plain League since 2018.