Cleveland's Major League Baseball Team Will No Longer Be Known As The 'Indians'

December 14th, 2020 - 1:01 PM EST by Adam Downer

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After 105 seasons, Major League Baseball's Cleveland team will no longer be known as the "Indians." The New York Times reported that the long-called-for change will finally go into effect ahead of the 2021 season.

The decision comes amidst growing calls for sports teams to change their Native American-themed mascots. After the NFL's Washington Redskins dropped the "Redskins" name ahead of the 2020 season, eyes turned to baseball's Cleveland team, who had been using the name "Indians" and a racist caricature of a Native American as their mascot for decades.

Cleveland began phasing out the mascot--a red, smiling Native American named "Chief Wahoo"--last season, opting to instead wear a red "C" on their uniforms. It is unclear if the team and city will decide on a new name before the 2020 season or follow the former-Redskins' lead and be known as "The Cleveland Baseball Team" for 2021.

Activists have been calling for the name change for decades, but pressure picked up amidst the racial tension in America during the summer. In 2014, Sporting News called for the removal of the team name and mascot while pointing out the team plays at Progressive Field, (named for the car insurance company Progressive). In 2016, ESPN contributor and sports columnist Bomani Jones famously pointed out the hypocrisy behind the name by wearing a parody Indians shirt with a white Chief Wahoo sporting the team name "Caucasians."


The move was mostly met with support from online commenters, who felt that though the change was long-overdue, better late than never.


Of course, not everyone was thrilled with the name change, including some usual, high-profile critics.


Other professional sports teams with Native American imagery including the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Chiefs, and Chicago Blackhawks recently stated they have no plans to change their names, though eyes will certainly turn towards them in the wake of Cleveland dropping their name.


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