"Guardians" is kind of a boring and generic name. (But maybe "boring" and "generic" is one of the reasons why Cleveland went with it.) "Cleveland Spiders" would've been cooler. I don't think there was anything wrong with the name "Indians" itself...when viewed in a vacuum without any surrounding context. The problem was that, in Cleveland's and MLB's case, the name "Indians" has a psychological association with the problematic/offensive Chief Wahoo logo that Cleveland recently got rid of, and that association might linger among some folks for years or decades if Cleveland stuck with Indians. Thus it is better to change the name, too. It's basically a major brand refresh. Atlanta will probably end up doing something similar eventually.
Yep. A former co-worker is a life-longhardcore Cleveland Fan. When we both lived in the DC area he would drive home to Ohio for every weekend home series. Does the same thing now that he lives in Ann Arbor (cut the drive time in half, but it's still a hike). Just talked to him and, while he can't quit them completely (he's been doing this for over 30 years), he's not renewing his second mini season ticket plan. It'll cut his usual 45 - 50 games to 25 - 30. He's pissed. Bad enough they changed the name, but to go with something SO uninspiring...
I really thought they were going to go with Spiders despite the stigma attached to that name. If it were me and since I feel confident the NHL won't ever expand again, I'd have gone with the name of the old NHL hockey team...the Barons.
It's funny how the stinky odor on the word Indian is basically a creation of American WASPs and pretty much no one else. I think that keeping legitimate names (Indians, Braves, Seminoles, Chiefs, etc) and non-caricature symbols of Indian people and culture around and alive is a good thing. I feel like we may be inadvertently erasing these folks from our zeitgeist entirely, which is a shame.
Um....the Guardians statues on the bridge near the stadiums. The name has a connection to the city. It's fine. "Guardians of Traffic" statues.
Um...Ohio abolished slavery in 1802. There was no plantations in Cleveland. Cleveland was a trading post and was founded in 1796.
Whenever stories about problematic teams like cleveland come up, i always think about how american would react to a team like colo colo and its badge. I've always seen it as one of the best in all of sports. I think this is a good example of "honoring" a native figure without it being some racist caricature. Would colo colo be cancelled?
History also taught us that Columbus was a hero and then punished him by naming a city after him in Ohio. That's not a coincidence.
Kinda praying this report is wrong. What a dumb, boring name. I've been looking for reasons to start following the team for a long time but God they're making it hard.
