Cleveland Indians: Local poll shows Spiders as favorite in name change

Local poll shows Spiders as favorite in name change for Cleveland Indians

It’s no secret that the 2021 campaign will be the last for the Cleveland Indians. After slowly removing Chief Wahoo from the spotlight leading up to hosting the 2019 MLB All-Star game, the Cleveland brass announced that a new change will be coming for the club following the current season, a change that has been long overdue.

What the new name will be is still up for speculation and most likely won’t be revealed for some time yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun with it! WKYC Studios in Cleveland took it upon themselves to find out what the fans want in the new name, running a poll. While the poll doesn’t have any actual significance to the decision, ownership would be wise to listen to their fanbase on this decision.

In the poll, fans had the option to chose from the Spiders, Rockers, Guardians, Buckeyes, Municipals and the writer’s nightmare of Cleveland Baseball Club. After the results came in, the Cleveland Spiders had the highest percentage, although it was at just 27.7% of the votes. WKYC reported that the results showed the Rockers in second with 22.5% followed by the Guardians (19.8%), Baseball Club (15.2%), Buckeyes (7.6%) and Municipals (7.2%).

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Spiders was the favorite as it has been the rumored go-to if a change were to happen for some time now. The Cleveland Spiders have existed before, but the current edition of Cleveland baseball has no ties to that original club. While the Spiders played at League Park, they played in the National League and essentially became the St. Louis Cardinals through a series of weird twists, turns and quite simply corruption.

Anyway, the Spiders could be on their way back. However, 27.7% of the vote isn’t exactly overwhelming. No matter what the ownership decides to use could be ill-received by a large chunk of the fan base that doesn’t want a change at all. While the Spiders don’t have a connection to this edition of the team, it does have a connection to the city and the history of baseball in Cleveland.

For fans looking for a more intimate connection to the city of Cleveland, the next two finishers in the poll might provide some options. The Rockers was the runner-up in the poll and carries a clear connection to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which has become a focal point of anything and everything Cleveland.

The Cleveland Rockers have been around before, but not in baseball. The Rockers played in the WNBA from 1997 until 2003, playing under the ownership of former Cleveland Cavaliers owner, Gordon Gund. Over seven seasons, the Rockers went 108-112 (.491) and finished first in the conference standings during the regular season twice but never advanced past the conference finals in the playoffs.

The third place finisher on the list is my personal favorite, the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians have yet to grace a sports arena in Cleveland and have a direct connection to Progressive Field, being featured across the street from the stadium. In my opinion, the Guardians would be something new and original while providing a unique connection to both the city and team, specifically.

Fourth in the poll was the Cleveland Baseball Club. From a writer’s perspective, please no. If you read articles the current team is referred to as the Cleveland Indians, Indians, Cleveland and Tribe. With Cleveland Baseball Club they can be written as Cleveland. That’s it. As someone who writes about the NFL, including the Washington Football Team, the Cleveland Baseball Club is a literally a writer’s nightmare.

The other two options that made the cut, but didn’t perform well, where the Buckeyes and Municipals. While fun options, they don’t have the feel of baseball in Cleveland.

The Buckeyes in Ohio belong to Ohio State and unless the Cleveland Indians want to become second fiddle in a lot of people’s minds, they won’t use Buckeyes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cool throwback uniform, but it should be kept as just that or could maybe inspire a uniform change to accompany the new nickname.

As for the Municipals, it just doesn’t sound good. The Cleveland Municipals or even the Cleveland Munis? Muni and Municipals in Cleveland just sounds like a tailgate for a Browns game.

While this won’t really change anything with the official name, it’s fun to see where the fans rest on the possibilities. Credit to WKYC Studios for running the poll and putting together the initial story that included all the percentages. Unfortunately, it’s all just speculation and guessing until the club makes an official announcement.