The Cleveland Indians are in the process of re-evaluating their team name. It is a long time coming.
Over the past few years, the Cleveland Indians have come under fire for both their name and their former logo. They eventually moved on from the controversial Chief Wahoo, replacing the smiling caricature with the block C logo. The move was considered to be a good start, but not enough when it came to evaluating their name.
Now, that time has come. Realizing the current social and political climate in the United States, the Indians have determined that they do need to re-evaluate their name after all.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 4, 2020
The Indians’ name is also not the original name for the franchise. When the American League was founded in 1901, the Cleveland entry was originally known as the Blues. In 1902, that name changed to the Bronchos, which was also short lived.
With the great Nap Lajoie on the roster, the franchise decided to honor their superstar. From 1903 through 1914, the franchise was called the Naps in his honor, a fitting tribute to the greatest player in team history. However, when Lajoie was sold to the Philadelphia A’s after the 1914 campaign, it was time for a new name.
Starting in 1915 through to the present day, the franchise has been known as the Indians. This name, and the Chief Wahoo logo, were alledgedly inspired by a former Cleveland Spiders player – Lou Sockalexis. Although he had a short major league career, lasting just three seasons, he was a popular player, and considered a star in his time. Sockalexis was also the first Native American in MLB history, hence the ‘decision’ to honor his place in history.
But times have changed. The logo, and the team name, no longer honor the man who allegedly inspired them. In fact, Sockalexis’ tribe, the Penobscot, had petitioned the Indians to stop the usage of Chief Wahoo. That caricature may be gone for now, retired in a loss on October 8, 2018, but more needs to be done.
It is time for the Cleveland Indians to find a new name. Despite the dubious claims that the Indians are honoring a popular player from Cleveland, there are other ways to do so. Continuing to use that name is not one of them.