PLEASING YOUR ENEMIES DOES NOT TURN THEM INTO FRIENDS: Macon Bacon baseball team refuses to change name.

A collegiate summer baseball team in Macon has faced some bacon backlash from a nonprofit led by doctors who claim the organization glorifies unhealthy foods.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has demanded the Macon Bacon baseball organization choose a new name, offering a suggestion like “Macon Facon Bacon” instead. The nonprofit said a name change would help encourage fans to stay healthy.

The group even went as far as to sponsor a billboard in town aimed at fans of the Georgia baseball team, warning of the risks of cancer.

“Macon Bacon’s glorification of bacon, a processed meat that raises the risk of colorectal cancer and other diseases, sends the wrong message to fans,” wrote Anna Herby, DHSc, RD, CDCES, nutrition education program manager for the PCRM in a letter to Macon Bacon president Brandon Raphael. “I urge you to update the team’s name to Macon Facon Bacon and promote plant-based bacon alternatives, such as Facon Bacon or Mushroom Bacon, that will help your fans stay healthy.”

But the Macon Bacon organization pushed back, saying it will not change its name.

Raphael said when he received the letter, he initally thought it was a joke until a local newspaper started reporting on it. That’s when he said the organization realized the nonprofit was serious about its stance against bacon.

“We didn’t feel as though we were glorifying bacon even though bacon is glorious,” Raphael said.

Exit quote: “Bacon Yesterday. Bacon Today. Bacon Tomorrow. Bacon Forever.”

(Classical reference in headline.)