The Major League Baseball team in Cleveland is not what you would call a sexy brand.
They haven’t won a World Series if over 60 years, and now they’ve faced a lot of national scorn for having a nickname that offended some people.
So they got rid of Indians, and now they will be known as the Cleveland Guardians.
And to try to be a little cooler and bring in a taste of Hollywood for their big reveal of the name, they released a video on Twitter that was narrated by Tom Hanks.
Cancel culture has hit several professional sports teams in including the Washington Football Team, and now add Cleveland’s baseball team to the mix.
The change was coming. In 2018 it started phasing out its Chief Wahoo logo, and team owner Paul Dolan somehow equated the George Floyd situation into the impetus he needed to officially change the name.
Here’s what the owner had to say Friday. “Cleveland has and always will be the most important part of our identity. Therefore, we wanted a name that strongly represents the pride, resiliency and loyalty of Clevelanders. ‘Guardians’ reflects those attributes that define us.
“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.”
Interestingly, it’s the fifth name in franchise history. They started as the Blues, than Bronchos, Naps, and finally Indians from 1915-2021.
To say that diehard fans hate the new nickname would be an understatement. Check Twitter if you need confirmation.
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