The Cleveland Indians are set to change their team name after years of protests by Native Americans on the usage of the name that is deemed by many as racist.
Cleveland is following the steps of the Washington Football Team, who in July announced that it would shed their team name because it was seen as a “racial slur.” The baseball team released a statement saying that they will conduct a “thorough review” of its name. Since then, the baseball team has consulted Native Americans nationally and in Ohio. The team said, “We are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name.”
According to three inside sources, Cleveland will announce their decision sometime this week. Furthermore, Cleveland is planning to keep the Indians’ name and uniforms for the 2020-2021 season. The team is looking to shift and change the uniforms and name by the 2021-2022 season.
The team is currently exploring options on possible name changes. So far, Cleveland is looking to use a replacement name similar to what Washington did with their football team and then looking to consult with the public to decide a new team name.
The Cleveland baseball team has used the Indians’ name since 1915. Native American groups have long opposed the name usage, logo and mascots because it was demeaning and racist. Cleveland and Washington were highlighted as the two teams whose names were the most damaging and prevalent example of racism.
Cleveland started to phase out their racist imagery when they announced the retirement of their mascot “Chief Wahoo” prior to the 2019 season. The baseball team was met with praise for their decision to retire their mascot and now for proceeding with a name change.
In recent years, many universities and high schools have abandoned Native American names and mascots. As efforts increase to bring awareness and change to all sports levels, some teams have refused to change their names. The Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Chiefs have said they have no plans to change their names.
