After Yuli Gurriel made his gesture in the dugout mocking Yu Darvish, other symbols of racism have come under fire. Specifically, the Cleveland Indians Chief Wahoo logo is coming under fire once again.
Over the past few years, there have been calls for the Cleveland Indians to get rid of Chief Wahoo, their long term logo. The image has come under fire in the past, with the efforts to remove the smiling Indian head ramping up during last year’s World Series. For their part, the Indians have moved away from the logo, but it is still a part of their rotation.
However, the furor and outrage over Chief Wahoo had been relatively quiet recently. Although the Indians returned to the postseason, they did not advance. Perhaps the quiet regarding Chief Wahoo had more to do with the image being out of sight, and therefore out of mind. And then, along came Yuli Gurriel, whose dugout gestures mocking Yu Darvish have led to a five game suspension in 2018.
With those actions, and the firestorm they set off, Chief Wahoo has once again come under fire. The question of how the Indians logo could continue to exist, but Gurriel could be suspended, has been bandied about. As such, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has stated that Chief Wahoo will be revisted in the offseason.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Manfred also attempted to draw a distinction between the two, saying that Gurriel’s actions were aimed at a specific player. Somehow, in his eyes, that makes the Astros first baseman’s actions even worse. In either case, the image, or the actions, could be considered offensive to large groups of people.
This certainly would not be the first time that Chief Wahoo was a topic of discussion between Manfred and Indians owner Paul Dolan. Since 2016, the two have attempted to work out a solution to the image, but have yet to come to an agreement. Yes, the logo has been put on the back burner, but it is still there.
Other entities have made up their minds about how to handle Chief Wahoo. Topps removed the image from their baseball cards going forward, strictly using the block C logo for Cleveland. Maybe this time, Manfred can get his way, and the Indians long time logo can be relegated to the dustbin of history.
Next: Decision time on Michael Brantley
Cleveland Indians logo Chief Wahoo is back in the spotlight once again. This time, a solution may finally be reached.