Chatham IBL drops nickname effective immediately

January 30, 2023

Official Chatham Intercounty Baseball League Release

The newly minted Chatham-Kent Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) franchise is dropping their recently announced “Blackbirds” name, effective immediately.

“The Chatham-Kent IBL club has made plans to change its name to better reflect the diverse cultural history of the community. As an organization, we welcome all conversations and discussions that help us to grow, foster and nurture our team in a manner that evokes a feeling of inclusion and pride consistent with the community and the rich tradition of baseball. We regret any harm the chosen name may have caused,” the team said in a statement issued on Monday.

This decision was made following important community feedback surrounding the historical derogatory use of the term “blackbird” and “blackbirding” that may be harmful to some members of our community.

Management and ownership thank our valued community members for bringing these details to their attention and wish to thank the club’s executive for acting quickly to make a change.

The new club recently announced their adopted nickname on Friday after a community-wide “Name The Team” contest. A new team name is expected to be announced soon.