Seth Udinski, FISM News
The Cleveland Indians have officially been canceled. The MLB franchise will abandon its longtime name “Indians” after the 2021 season. Starting in 2022, they will be known as the Cleveland Guardians.
The team made the announcement on its Twitter page early Friday in a video voiced by Tom Hanks:
Together, we are all… pic.twitter.com/R5FnT4kv1I
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2021
Owner Paul Dolan addressed the name change, highlighting the current racial tensions in America as a contributing factor to the name change:
Guardians’ reflects those attributes that define us while drawing on the iconic Guardians of Traffic just outside the ballpark on the Hope Memorial Bridge. It brings to life the pride Clevelanders take in our city and the way we fight together for all who choose to be part of the Cleveland baseball family. While ‘Indians’ will always be a part of our history, our new name will help unify our fans and city as we are all Cleveland Guardians.
The team has been known as the Indians for over 100 years, since 1915. Clearly, this is a public relations move by the organization, similarly to that of the NFL’s Washington Football Team and its recent cancelation of the former name “Redskins,” to appear inclusive and socially conscious. In actuality, it is simply another example of wokeism in the United States.
The team has not won a World Series since 1948, holding the longest active World Series drought in Major League Baseball, so perhaps they are thinking a new name might help them play better.