The Young Men’s Christian Association, universally known as the YMCA, has decided to outstrip the acronym-minded folks at KFC, AARP, and – most recently – NPR by stripping down to one letter.

New York Times headline:

Y.M.C.A. Is Downsizing to a Single Letter

According to the Times piece:

One of the nation’s most iconic nonprofit organizations, founded 166 years ago in England as the Young Men’s Christian Association, is undergoing a major rebranding, adopting as its name the nickname everyone has used for generations.

“It’s a way of being warmer, more genuine, more welcoming, when you call yourself what everyone else calls you,” said Kate Coleman, the organization’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

Warmer? More genuine? More welcoming?

Three of the Village People just got laid off.

From now on, YMCA stands for Young Men’s Castoff Association.