The Cleveland Guardians are officially coming to Major League Baseball in 2022.
After a lawsuit by a roller derby team with the same name, the Team Formerly Known as the Indians will be able to use their desired name, as both organizations will be known as the Guardians going forward.
Statement this morning from the Indians: "Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company, LLC and Guardians Roller Derby are pleased to announce an amicable resolution of the lawsuit filed by Guardians Roller Derby, whereby both organizations will continue to use the Guardians name."
— Bill Shea (@Bill_Shea19) November 16, 2021
Cleveland Guardians avoid embarrassing situation
This lawsuit had the potential to become an embarrassment for the Guardians baseball team. They had spent months going over possible names to settle upon the Guardians, only to be hit with a lawsuit a day after the announcement. The fact that they were alledgedly aware of the existance of the roller derby team, and moved forward with the name anyway, would have turned this into a circus.
Likewise, this allows the Guardians to avoid a situation where they would potentially go into the 2022 season without a name. They either would have needed to revert back to the Indians until the lawsuit was resolved, or exist as the Cleveland Baseball Team.
While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, there may be a payment heading to the roller derby team. It also would not be a surprise to see the roller derby team have a presence at the stadium or to have the Guardians have some sort of partnership develop between the two entities.
The timing of this agreement works out well for the baseball team. They are able to have merchandise available for the holidays, and do not have to worry about putting back the Indians’ signage that had been taken down. Even if the details are unknown, this is a deal that could work out for both sides.
The Cleveland Guardians are coming to Major League Baseball in 2022. Their potentially embarrassing legal situation is finally resolved.