On Friday, it was announced that the Major League Baseball team Cleveland Indians have dropped their controversial name and will be renamed ‘The Guardians’.
Since 1915 the Ohio-based team had used the word “Indians” in its name, but for some time now it has been strongly criticised by Native American groups, who consider it racist.
Plans for the name change had been known since last December in a year 2020 that was marked by multiple protests against racial justice.
The new name is intended to move away from controversy and pay tribute to the “Guardians of Traffic” a pair of famous statues located in the city of Cleveland.
In December, team owner Paul Dolan had said he had an “awakening” about the name following the well-known death of George Floyd, an African-American citizen who was killed by a police officer in May 2020.
This is not the first change this team has made to its identity. In 2019 they dropped their “Chief Wahoo” logo which they used for more than 70 years and which pictured a red-faced and smiling cartoon man wearing a single feather.
The team announced the news in a video posted on its Twitter account, which featured narration by renowned actor Tom Hanks. Times are changing and the Cleveland Guardians have realised this.
