While the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros battle it out in game three of the World Series tonight, there is a different war taking place within the MLB and it has to deal with where the pitchers warm up. Referred to as the “bullpen”, the area has always been a place for backup pitchers to make sure they are ready if needed. Doesn’t seem to be that offensive, but according to PETA, it is. And while PETA is demanding that both fans and the MLB stop using the harmful word, they suggested another take its place – “Arm Barn”. 

Claiming the term “refers to the holding area where terrified bulls are kept before slaughter,” PETA said, “People are striving to eradicate racist, sexist, homophobic, and ableist phrases (or team names) from our common language. But unfortunately, many of us also grew up hearing phrases that condone violence toward animals and perpetuate speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. Sayings such as ‘kill two birds with one stone,’ ‘beat a dead horse,’ ‘bring home the bacon,’ and ‘bullpen’ all normalize violent acts against some of the most defenseless members of our society.”

Go Ad-Free, Get Exclusive Shows and Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

PETA didn’t stop there as they were so happy with the name they came up with that they changed their handle on Twitter to it. They wrote, “Switching to ‘arm barn’ would be a home run for baseball fans, players, and animals.”

“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

Releasing her own statement, PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said, “Words matter, and baseball ‘bullpens’ devalue talented players and mock the misery of sensitive animals. PETA encourages Major League Baseball coaches, announcers, players, and fans to changeup their language and embrace the ‘arm barn’ instead.”

Just as it became unacceptable to use racist, homophobic, or ableist language, phrases that trivialize cruelty to animals will vanish as more people begin to appreciate animals for who they are and start ‘bringing home the bagels’ instead of the bacon.

— Arm Barn (@peta) December 4, 2018

Go Ad-Free, Get Exclusive Shows and Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

It should be mentioned that this isn’t the first time PETA has come after common phrases. In the past, they have suggested replacing “crying over spilled milk” with “crying over burnt toast”. And instead of people saying “kill two birds with one stone”, they would now say “feed two birds with one scone.” 

As for what Twitter users thought, one said, “I’m not convinced that PETA isn’t just a bunch of trolls and possibly the greatest comedic geniuses of our time.”

Another added, “‘Arm Barn’ is a hilarious and therefore objectively superior name.”