A Cleveland Indians employee runs with a flag displaying the block C logo prior to the game against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field on July 02, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jason Miller | Getty Images
Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team is changing its name to Guardians, the franchise announced Friday, dropping the racially offensive name it has been known as for more than a century.
The name Guardians is a reference to well-known Art Deco statues located on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, which spans the Cuyahoga River and connects downtown Cleveland to the city’s trendy Ohio City neighborhood. Those statues are known as the “Guardians of Traffic.”
The franchise, which announced the name change in a tweet Friday morning, had long faced pressure from activists locally and nationally to ditch the name “Indians,” which critics said was racist. It had been the baseball club’s name since 1915.
The video announcing the name change did not say when it goes into effect. However, MLB.com reported that will happen for next season. The 2021 season is currently underway, with the Cleveland franchise in second place in the American League Central.
The NFL’s Washington Football Team last year dropped its former name, which was decried as demeaning to Native Americans, as corporate backlash intensified. The franchise adopted Washington Football Team on a temporary basis, playing last season under that name. It will continue to be known as the Washington Football Team for the upcoming 2021 campaign.
The Washington Post reported earlier this month that a new name and logo will be announced in early 2022.
In December, the Cleveland baseball team said it would change its name after the 2021 season, a move seen by some as long overdue. Protests by Native American activists outside of the team’s stadium had for years been commonplace, particularly on Opening Day.
The franchise moved away from its longtime “Chief Wahoo” logo after the 2018 season, with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred saying at the time it was “no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball.”
In a post Friday, the team attempted to explain the name Guardians: “To protect, to keep watch, to defend. For Clevelanders, this is a way of life. We fight together for what we believe in. And if we get knocked down, we pick each other right back up and keep fighting. We’re resilient, hard working and loyal – to this city and to each other. That’s what it means to be Cleveland Guardians.”
The franchise said it surveyed more than 40,000 fans about potential names and conducted more than 140 hours of interviews with supporters, front office members and community leaders in Northeast Ohio.
“Our fans are at the heart of this decision. We heard this name often from our fans as a top contender because of it’s connection to the iconic Cleveland landmark,” the team statement said.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
