Cleveland Indians Begin New Name Discussions

Since 1915 the professional baseball team in Cleveland has been called the Cleveland Indians, but that might be changing soon.

The recent announcement that the Cleveland Indians franchise would look into the possibility of changing its name has given us some time to think about the options.

Like many businesses, the Indians franchise is considering a new name, based on the social reform movements taking place across the country.

Last year, the franchise removed the Chief Wahoo logo from all of its uniforms and apparel in response to social reform, and out of respect to the Native Americans. The replacement is the block “C” logo used today. However, more changes may still be coming.

This week the team issued the following statement across its social media platforms:

This messaging comes in an effort to get ahead of the same call for change that the NFL’s Washington Redskins are currently facing for the same reasons. For the Indians, getting this message out early is an important step to prevent the money losses the Washington Redskins are having to manage.

Knowing if the franchise will actually change its name is anybody’s guess. Some teams can keep their names, especially those representing specific tribes, such as the Florida State Seminoles. However, the term “Indian” is not of a specific tribe, rather a mistaken landing location when Christopher Columbus thought he had landed in India.

For our purposes, what if the team does change its name? What names would you like to see? Here are a few options that may be in the discussion.