The Cleveland Indians have announced a name change for next season. The Indians will now be known as the Cleveland Guardians, and the name change will go into effect following the 2021 MLB season.
The baseball club announced the change with a Twitter video.
In 2018, the club stopped wearing its Chief Wahoo logo on its jerseys and caps. The team then decided last year to make preparations for a name change. The franchise wanted to move away from the name they had used since 1915 because it is considered offensive to many Native Americans and others who are opposed to the use of Native nicknames and mascots for sports teams. They followed the Washington Football Team, which dropped the name “Redskins” last year.
Team owner Paul Dolan said last summer’s social unrest, topped off by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, spurred his intention to change the club’s name.
“We are excited to usher in the next era of the deep history of baseball in Cleveland,” Dolan said in a statement. “Cleveland has and always will be the most important part of our identity. Therefore, we wanted a name that strongly represents the pride, resiliency, and loyalty of Clevelanders.
“‘Guardians’ reflects those attributes that define us while drawing on the iconic Guardians of Traffic just outside the ballpark on the Hope Memorial Bridge. It brings to life the pride Clevelanders take in our city and how we fight together for all who choose to be part of the Cleveland baseball family. While ‘Indians’ will always be a part of our history, our new name will help unify our fans and city as we are all Cleveland Guardians.”
“This is a historic moment for our franchise, and we are excited for our players and staff to debut our new team name and look in 2022,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said in a statement. “We look forward to our team proudly representing the city of Cleveland as the Guardians.”
The Guardians will be the franchise’s fifth name in team history. The previous team names were the Blues (1901), Bronchos (1902), Naps (1903-14) and Indians (1915-2021).
