People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has a special request for MLB. On Thursday, PETA issued a statement on this year’s world series, urging MLB to change the name of “bullpen” to “arm barn.” PETA believes that “arm barn” is more animal-friendly.
“Words matter, and baseball ‘bullpens’ devalue talented players and mock the misery of sensitive animals,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. “PETA encourages Major League Baseball coaches, announcers, players, and fans to changeup their language and embrace the ‘arm barn’ instead.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
PETA notes that cows are hung in the meat industry, while in rodeos, bulls are abused, and all are held in a “bullpen.” As of this writing, MLB has not responded to PETA’s request. This leads to the question of where the term “bullpen” originated? Paul Dickinson, author of The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary might have the answer, saying that it was used in the early 1900s.
“Relief pitching emerged around the turn of the century,” Dickson said, per ESPN. “At that time, nearly every ballpark in the country featured a Bull Durham tobacco sign – a giant bull-shaped billboard – affixed to the outfield wall. All the games were played during the day, and relievers warmed up in the shadow of the bull. Over time, that area became known as the bullpen.”
John Thorn, the editor of Total Baseball, disagrees with Dickson. “Relief pitching was virtually unknown until the 1890s, and ‘bullpen’ was in use as early as 1870,” Thorn said. “It referred to the roped-off area in foul territory from where late-arriving fans could watch the game.
Odds are MLB won’t change the “bullpen” name considering it’s also used in all levels of baseball. But PETA requested at the right time as the league in the thick of the World Series. On Friday, the Houston Astros will take on the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the Fall Classic. The series is tied 1-1 as the Braves won Game 1 while the Astros won Game 2.
“Realistically, you want to win two,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after Game 2 of the World Series, per MLB.com. “But if you can split and get out of here and go home, where we’ve been really good, that’s a positive.” Game 3 will be on Friday at 8:09 p.m. ET.
