In a Minor League Baseball Promotion for Atheists, St. Paul Saints Will Become Mr. Paul Aints

Now this is how you do marketing. Forget billboards. The Minnesota Atheists and American Atheists are promoting their groups via a minor league baseball team, the St. Paul Saints:

Our banners will hang in the stadium and we will rename the team the “Mr. Paul Aints.” The team will wear Mr. Paul Aints jerseys during the game, which will be auctioned off as a fundraiser for us. You may also order in advance a custom Mr. Paul Aints jersey with your name and a number on the back for $69…

The letter “S” will be covered up on the word “Saints” throughout the ballpark and we’ll have an information/greeting table at the main entrance. American Atheists president Dave Silverman will throw out the first ceremonial pitch of the game. After the game there will be a fireworks display.

Brilliant, hilarious, and family-friendly!

And just in time for the Minnesota Regional Atheists Conference taking place the second week of August.

Glenn Davis at SportsGrid is a little surprised the team went through with the promotion:

We have to say, despite the Saints obviously being their own entity and obviously not averse to weird promotional stunts, we’re a little surprised they went through with this. They must have a fair number of religious fans, to say nothing of religious players on the team. They wouldn’t be thrilled about this change, no? Or maybe we’re overthinking it, and everybody sees this for the one-night goof that it is.

Still, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a hyper-religious group show up in protest: it’s an atheist takeover of the national pastime, after all. We’d say, “Somewhere, Christopher Hitchens nods in approval,” but something tells us he wouldn’t have wanted us to.

Even if any religious fans are upset, they can always sponsor a future game. This isn’t some special privilege only atheists get. Kudos to the Saints’ promotional department for seeing the humor in all this and having some fun. If you’d like to purchase tickets to the game, you can get more information here.

I wonder if the 7^th-inning stretch will feature a singing of “Dog Bless America”…

"It renders as a word with an "i" instead of an "o"."

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Thomas Lawson

They should sing “Imagine” during the 7th-inning stretch. Or Barenaked Ladies’ “Big Bang Theory.”
Rinnosuke

7th inning streach will be Take Me Out To the Ballgame AS IT SHOULD BE!!!!!!!
LesterBallard

Oh, I cannot wait to see how well this goes over.
Peer_halvorsen

As a resident of the Twin Cities and an Atheist I approve. I’m not surprised either. The Mr. Paul Aints are known for the humor making and such. Especially, because the great and honorable Bill Murray is part owner.
Sware

I love this! And I need a jersey!!

Just the other night my husband remarked, “how much longer must we go on singing God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch?” All I could think was, “ahh the good ole days,…when the 7th inning didn’t include indoctrination.”
Bboryla

Blasphemy. Don’t you guys know that the first baseball players were all Christians and baseball is a Christian sport?!

That’s what’s wrong with the game now, too many people have forgotten that. It’s the only way to protect the sanctity of the game.
Bboryla

Edit, accidentally deleted a line. The second paragraph should say…

That’s what’s wrong with the game now, too many people have forgotten that. We, as baseball fans, must get back to our Christian rules; it’s the only way to protect the sanctity of the game.
Curt Cameron

Shouldn’t it be “Dr. Paul”? After all, P.Z. does have a PhD!
Bubba Tarandfeathered

don’t you mean “the founding fathers of baseball…” and “we must get back to our ixian roots”
Becky Friedman

ZOM[G] this is awesome! I’m such a minor league fangirl!!
LutherW

Come to think of it, rooting for a particular team makes all the sense of crusading for a particular religion. I just don’t understand when they decided that umpires were necessary? Couldn’t they just let god declare the winner before the game?
Reginald Selkirk

I would also be interested in getting a jersey. Are they available?
treymorton

This effort should fail due to Christian roots of baseball. Genesis 1:1: “In the Big Inning….”
Hemant Mehta

Best thing I’ve read all day 🙂
walkamungus

The event needs the Singing Dogs barking “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” led by a bulldog with glasses named Hairy Carey.
I may need me a jersey.
rlrose328

You may also order in advance a custom Mr. Paul Aints jersey with your name and a number on the back for $69 by contacting us at apres@mnatheists.org.

From http://mnatheists.org/regional-atheist-conference
treymorton

Haha – thanks! I love using that joke!
James Williams

Why not sell the jersey for $6.66. Makes much more sense.