This is something that many have gone back and forth on for a long time. It is a subject that many have been concerned about when it comes to baseball in Cleveland, but now is definitely the time to address the issue at hand. It is time for the Cleveland Indians to change their name.
Honestly the team should have changed it a long time ago, but we are at a point in time where many brands are addressing insensitive titles and imagery. Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s are just two examples of brands realizing the racially insensitive history of their logo and name. The Cleveland Indians already addressed one part of their own issue by distancing themselves from Chief Wahoo. Now it is time to finish the job and find a new moniker for their baseball club.
What should the new name be?
As far as a new name goes that is where I don’t have an answer. A common suggestion is to bring back the Spiders name. The name isn’t great and the team was terrible with that name so let’s leave that in the past.
Another name that has some level of traction is Buckeyes. This just seems really messy. The Buckeyes were a team in a league that only existed due to segregation. I have never and will never purchase anything with the Cleveland Buckeyes name or logo on it because it just feels dirty. Collecting revenue in this manner has never sit right with me and it never will.
What name will Cleveland’s baseball team go with once they inevitably change their name? That’s the million dollar question isn’t it? At the end of the day it just feels like Cleveland’s baseball team still being named Indians has a definite end date and that end date seems to be approaching rather quickly.
UPDATE
A huge domino that could result in Cleveland changing their name appears ready to fall. The Washington Redskins are under a lot of pressure to change their name and it appears that it is more than likely to happen.
Once this happens Cleveland is next. There is absolutely no way that Washington will change their name and Cleveland keeps theirs. Other teams (such as Cleveland) will follow as they look to find an appropriate name.
UPDATE CONTINUED
The Cleveland Indians released a statement on their twitter account that they would be evaluating their name.
A name change seems inevitable at this point in time and it is a long time coming. The only question is whether they will play the 2020 season with this name or look to change it beforehand. The possibility of a name change cannot have come off guard so there has likely been some discussions in regards to this manner previously. At least that’s what the organization should have been doing for some time now considering the removal of Chief Wahoo and previous pressure to change the name.
