Morden baseball team will rebrand after criticism name is not 'respectful, appropriate or inclusive'

The senior league baseball team in Morden, Man., will be changing its name to something that isn't racially offensive, but what that new name will be is still undetermined.

The executive board for the Morden Mohawks — a men's senior baseball team in the southern Manitoba city — issued a statement Friday afternoon saying it will be changing its name.

"We have always associated the name with strong, positive, team-centred principles," the team, which plays in the Border Baseball League, said in its statement.

"While maintaining respect in our baseball history, we were made aware that not all members of our community may find the nickname respectful, appropriate or inclusive."

The statement says it hasn't been determined when a new name will be chosen, but the group in charge "will be working to complete the task as efficiently as possible."

This is not the first team a team in Morden has abandoned the Mohawks name.

In 2005, trustees with the Western School Division voted 3-2 to change the names of Morden Collegiate's sports teams from the Mohawks to the Thunder.

The decision to change the baseball team's name was made earlier in the off-season, the team's Friday statement said, but the executive decided to announce its intentions publicly now.

The announcement comes as pressure mounts on other sports teams, both professional and amateur, to change names considered offensive.

That includes the men's senior hockey team in Morden, a city of about 8,600. 

The Morden Redskins, who play in the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League, are facing renewed pressure to change their name.

The name, used as a slur against Indigenous people, is considered highly offensive. The Oxford Canadian Dictionary notes it as a "dated" and "offensive" term.

The mayor of Morden has voiced his dislike of the team name and has even offered to help pay for the costs of rebranding.

Other community members have also been writing to team management, sponsors and city councillors, asking them to encourage the hockey team to change its name.