Cleveland Indians: Five potential name changes

The Cleveland Indians announced that they are considering changing their name. If they take that route, let’s look at five possible options.

After years of uproar, the Cleveland Indians are finally doing something about their name. The name, and Chief Wahoo, had been hotly debated for years, with the team refusing to do anything about either for the longest time. Eventually, ownership caved when it came to their mascot, with the caricature of Chief Wahoo being retired for good following the Indians’ loss to the Astros in the 2018 postseason.

Now, that topic has come back to their name. Instead of ignoring the petitions and protestors, ownership has agreed to re-evaluate the name of the team, recognizing the current political and social environment. Even though the name purports to honor the memory of Louis Sockalexis, it is time for a change.

This would not be the first name change in franchise history. In fact, the Indians had three other names – the Blues, Bronchos, and the Naps in honor of Nap Lajoie – before settling upon the current name. It is possible that history repeats itself with one of those names, or another from back in the early days of major league baseball in Cleveland.

Let’s take a look at five possible options for the Cleveland Indians’ new name.