MLB Team Strikes Out Against Cancel Culture, Changes Name After 105 Years

Leah Barkoukis | December 14, 2020 4:00 PM

Cancel culture claimed so many victims over the summer it was hard to keep track—from statues and monuments to television shows, Aunt Jemima, and more. While the pace of cancelations may have slowed down, the trend hasn't stopped.

The latest victim is a Major League Baseball team—a team that's had its name since 1915.

Not content with the logo change that removed Chief Wahoo, team owners of the Cleveland Indians have decided to ax the name altogether.

The Cleveland baseball franchise has been known as the Indians since 1915, but Native American groups and others have for decades opposed the use of Indigenous names, mascots and imagery for sports teams, insisting they are demeaning and racist. Cleveland’s name and Washington’s old name were considered among the most high-profile examples and were the targets of widespread campaigns for change. [...]
For Cleveland, the process began when it announced it would retire its longtime mascot, Chief Wahoo, a cartoonish caricature that was seen as particularly offensive. Many applauded the decision, but insisted the team name must go, too.
Then in July, just hours after Washington announced it would change its name (under pressure from key sponsors like FedEx, Pepsi and Nike), Cleveland said it would conduct a “thorough review” of its nickname. The team has consulted with many Native American groups, both in Ohio and nationally.
“We are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name,” the team said in a statement in July. (NYT)

The organization said Monday that after its review to "learn how our team name affected different constituencies and whether it aligned with our … values," they decided to move forward with the name change.

The new name will be "non-Native American based," the statement said.

"Hearing firsthand the stories and experiences of Native American people, we gained a deep understanding of how tribal communities feel about the team name and the detrimental effects it has on them," team owner and chairman Paul Dolan said. "When a sports team is aligned with its community, it unlocks the ability to unite people from different backgrounds and bring people together in support of their home team. While Indians will always be a part of our history, it is time to move forward and work to unify our stakeholders and fans through a new name."

Statement from the organization.https://t.co/IHa68yEQGA pic.twitter.com/gGS6xutSOy
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) December 14, 2020

President Trump reacted to the reports on Sunday, tweeting: "Oh no! What is going on? This is not good news, even for 'Indians.' Cancel culture at work!"

Oh no! What is going on? This is not good news, even for “Indians”. Cancel culture at work! https://t.co/d1l0C9g6Pd
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020