One of the most controversial issues of the past couple of years has taken a new turn, as Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians have finally reached a decision regarding the new name of the franchise.
For years, activists and even sponsors criticized the Indians – as well as other franchises – for having a name that could have a derogatory connotation toward Native Americans, thus prompting this decision.
And, even though they have yet to make an official announcement, the press has already reported that the new name of the organization will be the Cleveland Guardians, while also leaking a new logo.
Cleveland Indians To Change Name To Cleveland Guardians:
Cleveland Guardians (via Stadium)
“Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reportsthat the Cleveland organization has settled on a replacement for their “Indians” moniker, which has triggered debates for years. The development comes seven months after club owner Paul Dolan said he would be changing the name amid mounting social pressure after Washington dropped its own insensitive Native American nickname. Dolan said the “Indians” name would remain for the 2021 season, with plans to phase it out for 2022,” reported Jack Baer of Yahoo! Sports.
“Per Hoynes, those 2022 plans were more of a goal than a promise, but Dolan also reportedly said the change would wait until 2023 if the club didn’t have a name settled by midseason, which it now appears to have done,” concluded the report.
The Atlanta Braves have yet to take a similar stance and it doesn’t seem like they’re considering making a name change any time soon. As for the Washington Football Team of the NFL, they’re expected to have a new name for the 2022 season.
Needless to say, this decision is likely to fuel the controversy even further, but at least, the team can focus on the next page of their history with a new identity.
