Cleveland's baseball team changes name to the Guardians

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNBC

Cleveland's Major League Baseball team is changing its name to Guardians, the franchise announced Friday, dropping the racially offensive name it has been known as for more than a century.

The name Guardians is a reference to well-known Art Deco statues located on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, which spans the Cuyahoga River and connects downtown Cleveland to the city's trendy Ohio City neighborhood. Those statues are known as the "Guardians of Traffic." The franchise, which announced the name change in a tweet Friday morning, had long faced pressure from activists locally and nationally to ditch the name "Indians," which critics said was racist.

The video announcing the name change did not say when it goes into effect. However, MLB.com reported that will happen for next season. The 2021 season is currently underway, with the Cleveland franchise in second place in the American League Central.

The NFL's Washington Football Team last year dropped its former name, which was decried as demeaning to Native Americans, as corporate backlash intensified. The franchise adopted Washington Football Team on a temporary basis, playing last season under that name. It will continue to be known as the Washington Football Team for the upcoming 2021 campaign. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that a new name and logo will be announced in early 2022.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/23/cleveland-indians-baseball-team-changes-name-to-the-guardians.html

---

Glad they finally got around to doing this.

Link to tweet

TEXT

Sporting News MLB
@sn_mlb
The name is based on the Guardians of Traffic statues seen throughout Cleveland.
Sporting News
@sportingnews
The Cleveland Indians announce they are changing their name to the Guardians.
Image
Image
Image
Image
9:43 AM · Jul 23, 2021

Link to tweet

TEXT

Sports Illustrated
@SInow
The Cleveland Indians have now become the Cleveland Guardians
👏


(via @Indians)
9:46 AM · Jul 23, 2021

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Coulda been worse

I can get used to it.

[TheBlackAdder]

39. Kinda sounds like more of the MCU fanboi stuff, like how the "Space Force" are Guardians.

.

Now, the question is, Who will take the role of Star-Lord?



.

[Tadpole Raisin]

50. I guess it was a local choice

So many people won’t get it (like the universal Lions, Dolphins, or Patriots) but some people act like it is a sacrilege.

Same kind of outrage happened years ago when it was decided to add male names to hurricanes. You’d have thought society itself was coming apart, lol!!

[brush]

79. Doesn't excite me. They should've just went with "The Tribe", like...

"The Heat" or "The Avalanche". Many already call the team the tribe as it is.

[Chainfire]

2. I am not holding my breath until FSU does the right thing too.

They have more excuses for retaining their Seminole logo than Carter has tiny liver pills.

[sop]

13. That annoying tomahawk chop and war chant thing they do in the stands has to go.

[Submariner]

17. I think we can blame Ted Turner and wife Jane Fonda for that tomahawk chop stuff

I think it was in the 80s, the TV cameras would zoom in on Ted and Jane looking all cute in their box seats at the Atlanta Braves games. It looked dumb.

[sop]

27. The Kansas City Chiefs also use it.

A few years ago all three organizations were arguing about who invented the Tomahawk Chop and war chant. FSU claims their marching band was doing it as far back as 1969.

I never watch the Braves or the Chiefs, but every year the Seminoles play the Gators we're subjected to that stupid cheer in the stands. At least Kansas City and Atlanta don't have Chief Osceola riding onto the field on a white horse and plunging his spear into the FSU logo.

[obamanut2012]

32. Except the Seminole Tribe is fine with Osceola and Renegade

They even help train the new horses, and the students who act as Osceola, and ensure the clothing, how the horse is ridden, etc. is historical correct.

[Chainfire]

35. That is all about money that goes to the tribe

The Tribe are willing to be mocked if the dough keeps rolling in. The Tribe is poor and they need the money. Tribal leadership is a greedy as the rest of us. Anyone who watches the "Seminole" act play out can see that the whole thing is demeaning to Native Americans in particular and all Americans in general. I find it a disgusting open act of racism.

Bobby Bowden is in the process of dying, sooner rather than later, perhaps it would be a good time to retire the Seminole logo along with the former highly successful coach. Bury them both at the brick cathedral to football.

[sop]

40. The Seminoles aren't poor these days, they sold out years ago.

The Seminole tribe is worth over $12B, with annual revenues in excess of one billion dollars from their gambling and hospitality industries. Every member - any man, woman and child with at least one quarter Seminole ancestry - receives about $7,000/month. This isn't meant as a criticism, everyone has a right to make a buck.

FSU doesn't pay the tribe for the use of its name and heritage, but they do provide a scholarship program for Seminole students. The Seminole name is also a part of the tribe's branding business, they make good money from that too. And that Chief Osceola and Renegade ritual is a bit of a joke; Florida Seminoles didn't use horses and flaming spears all that much in the swampy Everglades.

[csziggy]

66. I find it amusing that they use Apaloosa horses to play Renegade

Apaloosas were originally bred by the Nez Perce Indians in the North West, around Idaho and that region.

Seminoles were not known for develo0ping their own breed of horses and were more likely to have used Florida Cracker horses, a smallish breed of horses similar to the Western Mustangs, descended from Spanish horses and escapees from other colonists.

Typically, the Seminoles lived in the swamps to avoid white men and swamps are not good places for having horses.

Aside from that, my neighbor years ago had one of the horses used as Renegade which he used for pleasure riding when he got a chance during the team's off season.

[GulfCoast66]

86. The Seminole's only retreated to the swamps after the Seminole wars continued.

And they were driven there. They were the remnants of other tribes who found refuge in British Florida. The early battles of the Seminole wars were in the more desirable land of Central Florida where they originally lived and farmed.

The so called Dade Massacre, which was actually an epic Seminole victory was near Bushnell. Sumpter county, I think. Over 100 soldiers were killed in a day long attack by 180 Seminoles. Only 2 soldiers survived the battle. The Seminole leader was Micanopy. One of the prettiest towns in Central is named for him. I figure you are aware of this. But other DU readers might not know.

[csziggy]

90. Every place I know where the Seminoles lived is a swamp

But of course, that could be the places that are left.

I know the area around Lake Hancock between Lakeland and Bartow was supposed to be a big Seminole encampment - when I was a kid there were lots of artifacts found there.

My hometown, Bartow was founded just after the Seminole Wars as Fort Blount and there had been a large settlement of Black Seminoles at the site of what is now Fort Meade, south of Bartow. Both Fort Blount and Fort Meade were named for commanders during the Seminole Wars. Unfortunately our American History teacher did not teach much about local history and none about anything after the "War of Northern Aggression" so my knowledge of the Seminole Wars is spotty.

I know Micanopy well - used to go there regularly to look for antiques.

Up here in North Florida I have read that the Seminoles were driven into the coastal swamps. Since the areas I have named as Seminole held places are all swampy, I thought that most of their settlements were in locations like that. Of course, most of Central Florida is swamp or close to one so that makes good places close to areas where they could retreat when the whites came to attack.

[Evolve Dammit]

60. That was Atlanta. Never saw it in Cleveland

[sop]

67. Tons of FSU fans would come to the annual Noles/Gator home game at UF in Gainesville.

They'd drive everyone nuts with that irritating war chant and tomahawk chop every time FSU caught a pass or made a first down. Then their marching band would start playing the stupid war chant....over and over again...till it was seared into your brain.

[Evolve Dammit]

83. That really sucks. "Stupid" is right.

[GulfCoast66]

85. As a grad of an SEC east school, you think that inane gator chomp is not equally annoying?

I pull for the Gators over FSU every year, but they have worked closely with the Seminole tribe for decades.

Since you have Florida ties you know the Seminoles are respected by almost every Floridian for never signing a surrender treaty.

I think their gambling wealth has sullied their standing some, but can’t blame them. They went from impoverished to wealthy rather quickly. Good for them, I say.

[sop]

89. Of course the Gator Chomp is meant to be annoying to opposing fans, that's the point.

But at least there's no equally annoying fan chant to go with it, along with the marching band endlessly replaying the thing, over and over, till people start throwing beers and hot dogs at them to make them stop. Christ, it's nearly as annoying as those maddening vuvuzelas blaring incessantly during the South Africa World Cup football matches.

FSU's annoying war chant is straight out of those Hollywood B-Westerns. Whenever the "savage indians" were shown - wearing face paint and war bonnets, prancing around their campfires, preparing to go scalp some "pale faces" - that same stupid theme music would play. You'd think they would come up with something a little less offensive.

[madville]

25. The Seminole Tribe fully endorses and approves of FSU's use of their name and all imagery

I don't know why some want to take that away from them.

[forgotmylogin]

36. Yeah, huge difference between the "Indian" misnomer and honoring a tribe. n/t

[wnylib]

47. FSU is rare in actually honoring and

respecting the the tribal name and people. The majority of teams that use tribal names, imagery, and mascots do not.

[obamanut2012]

31. The Seminole Tribe endorses it, and trains Osceola and Renegade

They have an official okay from the NCAA, because the Seminoles approve of it.

They need to ban headdresses and other things, but not Osceola and Renegade.

[Chainfire]

46. The test to my contention that it is wrong is to change the title.

How would it be to name a football team the Jews? The Seminole Tribe of Florida approving of the system for money does not make it right. It is marginalizing the people of the Seminole Tribe and paying them for the abuse; it is time for a change. I wouldn't think that the concept would require a big explanation to people who post to this forum.

[radius777]

56. +1. There will always be some members of an oppressed group

who will work to sustain the oppressive system, for whatever reasons (some often pragmatic), but that does not make it correct.

[StevieM]

65. I see your point and respect your point of view. Here is, perhaps, another way of looking at it.

I think the Seminoles is more akin to Notre Dame being called "the Fighting Irish." Or Boston's NBA team being called "the Celtics."

Maybe your analogy to a football team being called "the Jews" would be better applied to a football team being called "the Maccabees."

[aggiesal]

72. Here you go! ...

https://espzen.com/index.php

[StevieM]

73. I don't understand your reply.

I went to the link but couldn't find anything there that appeared to serve as a response to the statement that I posted. Could you spell out for me exactly what you were trying to say?

[aggiesal]

84. You wrote ...

"... would be better applied to a football team being called "the Maccabees."

Here's a link to a team called the MACCABEES FOOTBALL CLUB
https://espzen.com/index.php?m=fixtures&s=overview&id=358&team=2866&m=fixtures&s=overview&id=358&team=2866

Sorry about that.

[IronLionZion]

41. Florida Men

Florida Methheads, Superspreaders, Sunburns,

[Renew Deal]

3. I wonder if WFT will announce a new name if they win a Super Bowl

Which they are expected to have a shot at this year.

[IronLionZion]

9. Washington Gridlock

Or Corruption, Lobbyists, Insurrectionists, Alt-Red,

[brooklynite]

20. "The Washington Filibusters will stop you in your tracks..."

[AllaN01Bear]

28. the washington drag your feets .

[Evolve Dammit]

62. Good One!

[steelyboo]

43. My vote is for the Washington Pigskins

To me, its a great option:

1) Pigskin is a nickname for a football
2) The fans could still yell "Go Skins!"
3) Their best known players were their offensive line, nicknamed "The Hogs"
4) If they can work with Warner Brothers, you put Porky Pig in a football uniform, and you got your new mascot
5) You could have a Political tie-in by having the home end zone called "the Pork Barrel"

[Evolve Dammit]

63. Also a good one! The Hogs were a great line

[Renew Deal]

70. What about the Washington Foreskins

I saw funny one online where they would still be called the redskins, but their logo was a potato.

[steelyboo]

91. Head Coach would take on a whole new meaning.

[marble falls]

4. Good idea, crap name choice.

[GB_RN]

6. They Could Have Gone Back To...

The original "Cleveland Spiders"...

[marble falls]

11. That would be an improvement on 'Guardians'.

[brush]

80. They should've went with "The Tribe" years ago and been done with it.

Many already refer to the team as The Tribe.

Such a no-brainer.

[Wuddles440]

14. Agree!!!

[EarnestPutz]

71. I was really hoping for the "Spiders" as a historic throwback. Another great chance blown.

Just the sale of memorabilia would have been huge.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. There was a little P.R. explanation video (I just posted a tweet of it in the OP)

about the origin of the name...

So many of the "good" names have already been taken by every type of sports team under the sun.

[marble falls]

15. On the Lorain St bridge next to the Westside Market (a winderfull place itself) I lived about 15 ...

blocks away off 43rd St at 4315 John Ave.

It's yuppies now, but it is was a 'DP' neighborhood when we lived there.

The Cleveland Trust bank was where my parents met and worked, next to that was a Royal Castle, the other way one block was the Hot Dog Inn, across the street was the Hippodrome movie house (there every Saturday for kid's mattinee) next to it was the Army/Navy Store, back a block south, was Trinity Lutheran Church and the Lutheran School I attended for fourth, fifth grade (went to Christ for first thru third grade about 2 miles west on Clark), The really great library was a block north of the Cleveland Trust.

We went to the Market every Saturday Morning. And saw the guardians almost every day.

I was born about six blocks North on 24th st at St Lukes.


https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/73

[BumRushDaShow]

29. I've been to Cleveland once

about 20 years ago for a couple-day work trip. I did get to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and actually got to see Lake Erie from the Ohio side. Lake Erie was an always-talked about lake for kids in PA schools but I never got there to see it - at least so far - from the PA side.

One of my BILs was born and raised in Dayton and his mother, a sister, and a brother are still there. One of his other brothers is in TX, but almost all the nieces/nephews and grand-nieces/nephews are over here on the east coast.

[marble falls]

53. Cleveburg was a wonderful place. South of the bridge is where they filmed the chruch in ...

... in "Deer Hunter", some houses and the coking plant is down in the flats from that were in the film, too. We'd go past it on our way to Nanty-Glo, PA (near Johnstown) where my grandparents still lived on the farm. They had some blast ovens there and in dark, packed in the back of a '63 Mercury Monterey, watch the carts dumping slag - red in the night like lava.

Rock Hall of Fame is all right, but overrated, overcrowded, overpriced. I did like seeing Janis's Porsche and some of the guitars.

Anything after the eighties past the phish is kinda wasted on me.

[wnylib]

49. I lived in the Cleveland area for 5 years, in

Westlake. I worked downtown and on Cleveland's west side near Lakewood. I don't remember seeing or hearing about the Guardians. Can't remember now if I crossed the Lorain Street bridge. It was a long time ago, late 1970s.

[marble falls]

54. Westlake is nice. I remember tham as a kid because the each hold a different transportation ...

... auto, truck, train, bus etc. They looked big enough for a kid to be inside them.

[Evolve Dammit]

64. interesting. Thanks

[Rastapopoulos]

5. I was hoping for Cleveland Spiders

To 'honor' a team from the 19th century that went 20-134 in 1899.

[malthaussen]

37. "Naps" obviously wouldn't have worked.

Who remembers Nap Lajoie these days? If they had wanted to keep an "Indians" connection, they could have tried a name like Cleveland Sockalexises, although nobody remembers old Lou anymore either.

-- Mal

[brush]

81. That would work. Guardians doesn't do it for me.

[Sneederbunk]

8. Hope guardians are not offended.

[Sibelius Fan]

10. Sports teams need to stick with naming themselves after animals,

insects and other non-ethnic-human groups.

As far as Cleveland renaming themselves to The Guardians, I see an MCU tie-in in their future.

[Throck]

12. Works for me. Good diversity name.

[nuxvomica]

16. That video makes me want to move to Cleveland

Over-the-top production and rousing oratory, with Tom Hanks narrating no-less.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

18. They should have gone with "the Cleveland Rocks." How could they ignore that great song?

Hit it, Mott the Hoople:

Ian Hunter - Cleveland Rocks
44,301 views Apr 9, 2011

Mark Albers
1.46K subscribers

From the Agora Ballroom. Long before there was a crappy TV show there was this...

{snip}

Cleveland Rocks (Live in Cleveland, 18 June 1979)

{snip}

[muriel_volestrangler]

34. And they have the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

However, the "dumb as (a box of) rocks" jokes write themselves.

[Greg K]

55. "Rockers" might have worked too. But I guess a little too easy to confuse with "Rockies".

[radius777]

58. +1. Cleveland Rockers would've been the perfect name,

but they may've felt it sounded too much like Rockies.

Guardians will work just fine once people get used to it.

[heckles65]

59. I liked it too!!!

How could they pass up that bitchin' name? Seriously!

[brooklynite]

19. Shouldn't the name be more geographically topical?

Like...River Fires?

[Sibelius Fan]

21. In a related story, Yankees fans are asking the Houston Astros to change their name

to the Houston Stealers.

[madville]

22. Sounds like a football team name n/t

n/t

[hvn_nbr_2]

26. Sounds like a rightwing militia to me. nt

[mahatmakanejeeves]

23. Set the WABAC Machine to January 29, 2018.

Mon Jan 29, 2018: Indians removing Chief Wahoo logo from game uniforms in 2019

BREAKING: Cleveland Indians removing Chief Wahoo logo from game jerseys and caps, starting in 2019 season

Link to tweet

Indians removing Chief Wahoo logo from game uniforms in 2019

By TOM WITHERS
26 minutes ago

CLEVELAND (AP) Divisive and hotly debated, the Chief Wahoo logo is being removed from the Cleveland Indians uniform next year.

The polarizing mascot is coming off the teams jersey sleeves and caps starting in the 2019 season, a move that will end Chief Wahoos presence on the field but may not completely silence those who deem it racist.

The Associated Press was informed of the decision before an official announcement was planned for Monday by Major League Baseball.

After lengthy discussions between team owner Paul Dolan and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, the Indians are taking the extraordinary step of shelving the big-toothed, smiling, red-faced caricature, which has been used in used in various expressions by the team since 1947.

{snip}

[sdfernando]

24. ....and not too expensive to change the logo from a C to a G

Fans can do that on their own too.

[jmowreader]

30. Name is fine. Winged baseball logo is not.

If you can’t wear a baseball logo on a baseball cap, it’s no good…and according to the MLB rule book no depiction of a baseball can be on a baseball uniform. Other than that…interesting choice naming the team after carved rocks.

[BumRushDaShow]

38. Well

(not on their cap obviously)

[Crowman2009]

33. I would have preferred they called themselves the Cleveland Springs since they...

...manufacture them. I wanted Coiley to be their mascot:.

[Sancho]

42. ...they just wanted to change the jerseys with the fewest letters...

[SKKY]

44. I guess they didn't like my recommendation of The Cleveland Baseball Team...

...Oh well. Guardians it is.

[twodogsbarking]

48. Glad to see it.

Thanks.

[Mysterian]

51. Cleveland Sasquatches would be better

Just about anything would be better than Guardians. Kind of lame, IMO.

[Paladin]

52. Cleveland "Swingin' Dicks" would have been my choice. (nt)

[Jose Garcia]

57. Should have changed it to the Steamers

[Tikki]

61. Excellent, Bravo Cleveland...what an awesome name.

Young ones are definitely going to recognize that name. Should build loyalty
right away.


Tikki

[Faygo Kid]

68. Cleveland Rockers would have been MUCH better

Home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Seems obvious to me.

[hatrack]

69. Is Cleveland Groot?

.

[BumRushDaShow]

77. For some reason

one of my sisters likes that character.



I did see where that was something some Clevelanders now want as an mascot - https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/everyone-wants-groot-cleveland-guardians-163505822.html

[BHDem53]

74. The Cleveland Flaming Rivers

[marble falls]

82. The Cuyahoga is clean enought to drink out of and is soft water, there are a lot of native ...

... species that have recovered.

https://www.nps.gov/cuva/learn/kidsyouth/the-cuyahoga-river.htm

https://thedevilstrip.com/2019/06/03/cuyahoga-river-fishing-safe-animals/

[colsohlibgal]

75. Works For Me

Some people were going to not like whatever name they chose. My Sister and I have been fans all along and that won’t change. Living in Central Ohio lots of Reds fans here but we skewed North.

I am surprised thought it would be something related to Lake Erie.

Go Guardians!

[DarthDem]

76. I Like It!

I've seen those statues but didn't know what they were. Very nice choice!!

They can even do tie-ins with the Marvel Universe if they wish.

[Orangeutan]

78. Should have been the Cleveland Fire

after the time the Cuyahoga River caught fire. Lot of creative logo possibilities there. Organist could play Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" at every home game.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

87. "Look at this awesome art deco piece. Completed in the 1930s. It's unimaginable for a city to ..."

Dave Weigel Retweeted

Look at this awesome art deco piece. Completed in the 1930s. It's unimaginable for a city to build anything like this today.

Link to tweet

[Deminpenn]

94. This are so many beautiful stone carvings

on old buildings. For example, one of the original school buildings in my county has carvings of the 9 Muses around the top of the building. I'd bet students came and went and never even noticed them.

[heckles65]

88. Maybe "Guardians" will grow on me, IDK

For now there's a lot of wailing and nashing from the same people who thought dumping Chief Wahoo meant we were well on the road to 1984.

[LiberatedUSA]

92. Well, at least this will prevent a horrible remake of Major League.

No need to ruin another movie with a terrible remake.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

93. Speaking of which, "Major League" is coming up on Bounce TV, starting at 2:00.

https://nocable.org/tv-listings/zip/20500-washington-dc/

[Brother Buzz]

95. One of the Guardians made a cameo appearance in the opening scene from Major League

Burn on, big river, burn on

[LudwigPastorius]

96. "Those statues (that inspired the team name) are known as the "Guardians of Traffic."

Also today, Cleveland revealed the new team uniform.