Should Atlanta Braves change name to Hammers? Hank Aaron’s death prompts new push
After the death of Major League Baseball’s incandescent “Hammerin’” Hank Aaron on Jan. 22 at age 86, fans have renewed a familiar request — that the Atlanta Braves change their name to the Hammers.
As the city of Atlanta prepared for Aaron’s memorial service at Truist Park, fans took to Twitter to express their desire to see the team salute the former home run king in an honorable fashion.
In July, the Braves announced that they had no plans to follow the lead of the NFL’s Washington franchise/ and change a name that has been shrouded in controversy. Following the death of the baseball icon, people are stepping forward — even drawing up petitions — and asking the franchise to drop a name considered insensitive to the Native American community. The Cleveland Indians in December announced they will change their nickname after the 2021 season.
“The renaming serves two important purposes: 1) It honors an icon who represented our city with grace and dignity for more than half a century, and 2) It removes the stain on the city of having a team name that dishonors Native and Indigenous people, especially given one of the greatest tragedies in American History, the Trail of Tears, began in the region the team calls home,” the petition said.
Alternate logs have also been thrown into the ring.
Even Braves legend Dale Murphy gave his approval on the proposed name change.
The outpouring of love on social media from the Hall of Famer’s fans following his death has been monstrous, with some fans paying tribute specifically to the legend’s 715th home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing in 1974, surpassing Babe Ruth as MLB’s all-time home run leader.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Should Atlanta Braves change name to Hammers? Hank Aaron’s death prompts new push."