Many of you may be familiar with Stanford University’s Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative (EHLI), a multi-year project directed toward removing racist, violent, and biased language from university media. You may also be aware that after an onslaught of criticism, much of it mocking and not all of it from right wing sources, the institution appears to have abandoned the project altogether.
This is a shame, because the Toteboard would like to go on record as saying that it fully supports the initiative. The EHLI literature has really sensitized the Toteboard on how to recognize ableist, ageist, colonialist, culturally appropriative, gender-based, imprecise, racist, and violent language that it might not have noticed previously.
For example, the recent Toteboard post on baseball has inspired a second look at how the names of many Major League teams still employ problematic or inappropriate language. In fact, the Toteboard would even venture to say that every MLB team name is insensitive in some way, and that ownership should strongly consider adopting names (and mascots) that better respect the goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
To address this situation, the Toteboard here presents a concrete proposal, which emulates the format established on the EHLI website. What appears below is a table that includes an alphabetical listing of every current team, explanations of how each team name is potentially offensive, and modest suggestions for alternatives to the current names. This is, much like the EHLI, a work in progress, and the Toteboard is more than open to suggestions that could improve the current proposal.
Instead of . . . | Context . . . | Consider Using . . . |
Arizona Diamondbacks | May be unintentionally triggering to those who have ophidiophobia or have been attacked by a snake | Arizona Diamondfronts |
Atlanta Braves | Cultural appropriation that trivializes term’s use in Native American com-munities | Atlanta Risk-Takers |
Baltimore Orioles | May unintentionally trigger those with ornitho-phobia | Baltimore Aurioles |
Boston Red Sox | Using player-first language helps to not define people by just one of their char-acteristics | Boston Sox that are Red |
Chicago Cubs | May unintentionally promote the violation of child-labor laws | Chicago Critters |
Chicago White Sox | Using player-first language helps to not define people by just one of their char-acteristics. | Chicago Sox that are White |
Cincinnati Reds | May trivialize the experience of color-blindness | Cincinnati Neutral Values |
Cleveland Guardians | Unintentionally appropri-ates a term from both the Green Lantern comic book series and an episode of Star Trek | Cleveland Indians |
Colorado Rockies | May unintentionally re-mind people of Sylvester Stallone | Colorado Foothills |
Detroit Tigers | May be triggering to people who have had friends or family members eaten by tigers or other predatory felines | Detroit Pussycats |
Houston Astros | Appropriates a dog’s name from a television cartoon | Houston Elroys |
Kansas City Royals | Implicitly reinforces unnecessary hierarchical social relationships | Kansas City Comrades |
Los Angeles Angels | Implicitly assigns a lower status to those who are going to Hell | Los Angeles Fairies |
Los Angeles Dodgers | Has its origin in the term “trolley-dodgers,” which may be unintentionally triggering to those who have suffered injuries caused by or on public transportation | Los Angeles Pedestrians |
Miami Marlins | May be triggering to those who have been attacked by marlins, swordfish, or other istiophoridae | Miami Mackerels |
Milwaukee Brewers | Glorifies alcohol abuse | Milwaukee Twelve-Steppers |
Minnesota Twins | Perpetuates the stereo-type that siblings close to each other in age lack uniqueness or distinct-iveness | Minnesota Individuals |
New York Mets | Has its origins in the term “Metropolitans,” which excludes those who reside in exurban and rural communities | New York Residents |
New York Yankees | Has its roots in a pejorative reference to residents of one part of the country | New York Coastal Elites |
Oakland Athletics | Perpetuates the valuation of people who are sporty and coordinated | Oakland Mediocrities |
Philadelphia Phillies | Identifies female women as non-human animals | Philadelphia Phyllos |
Pittsburgh Pirates | Trivializes the experience of the those who have been victims of piracy | Pittsburgh Mariners |
San Diego Padres | Perpetuates the idea of a male-only priesthood, as well as the hierarchical stratification between clergy and laypersons | San Diego Wiccans |
San Francisco Giants | Reinforces offensive stereotype of tallness as superior | San Francisco Amples |
Seattle Mariners | May be triggering to those who experience sea-sickness | Seattle Transporters |
St. Louis Cardinals | May be unintentionally triggering to those who have suffered sexual abuse by clergy | St. Louis Ordinals |
Tampa Rays | Has its roots in the term “devil rays,” which may raise religious or moral concerns. | Tampa Segments |
Texas Rangers | May be triggering to those who resent authority figures | Texas Egalitarians |
Toronto Blue Jays | Using player-first language helps to not define people by just one of their char-acteristics. | Toronto Jays that are Blue |
Washington Nationals | May reinforce harmful or jingoistic displays of patriotism | Washington Cosmopolitans |
Again, this is a work-in-progress. If you have suggestions on how to improve this table, please contact Herman's Toteboard! We hope to have an updated version released same time next year.