Cleveland Indians Now Cleveland Guardians
It goes into effect next season.
USA Today (“Cleveland’s baseball team announces it’s changing nickname to the Guardians”):
Cleveland’s baseball team is changing its nickname to the Guardians, the team announced Friday.
The team announced last year that it would change its name amid controversy from Native American groups and Major League Baseball.
The franchise has used the “Indians” since the 1915 season.
The Guardians refer to the statues along the Hope Memorial Bridge that crosses the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland and is meant to symbolize progress.
The new nickname will begin 2022.
Cleveland stopped wearing the Chief Wahoo logo in 2018 on their jerseys and caps, but still continues to sell the Chief Wahoo merchandise.
The most offensive of the Indian-named teams have all been renamed (or, in the case of the NFL’s Washington Football Team, in a halfway house between names). We’ll see how much longer the Atlanta Braves, Golden State Warriors, and Kansas City Chiefs continue with less-offensive Native mascots but one suspects they’ll be forced to change within the decade. (My understanding is that the Florida State University Seminoles use that name with the blessing of the tribal leadership, so they should be safe.)
“Guardians” is hardly inspiring to me but I’m not from Cleveland and have no attachment to the namesake statues. That the Space Force has adopted the same moniker for its personnel is mildly amusing
All I can think of is Guardians of the Galaxy.
Guardians is a much cooler name, especially given it refers to something tangible and heavily associated with Cleveland
So, although I’ve been to Cleveland once or twice, I was unaware of the Guardians.
They are friggin’ cool.
https://bridgehunter.com/photos/23/17/231794-L.jpg
Well-played, Cleveland.
An obscure, but local reference. Knowing the reference makes, what appeared to be banal, meaningful.
Sakes Alive is he being dragged for this.
Also:
You know, I can find nothing that specifically associates the Golden State Warriors with native peoples. Not the logo, which shows the GG Bridge in a circle. “Warriors” is a generic, not specifically associated with native peoples. The mascot isn’t native either. He died, but one guy was “Thunder” who was all blue with a lightning bolt for hair. What am I missing?
Growing up in Chicago, even as a kid I questioned the coolness factor of our home teams. “Cubs”. Really? Why not “Puppies”? “White Sox” (originally White Stockings)? “Bears”? “Bulls”? No character. No association with Chicago. We did have the Chicago Sting and now Fire soccer teams. Strange choices for a name, but I guess they do have something to do with Chicago.
Of course the Black Hawks have their own controversy, although there is an actual history to that name. It comes from the Black Hawk division of the Army which is part of the tradition of honoring significant war leaders in Army names. In this case it was Chief Black Hawk, and the hockey team founder served in that division. I don’t ever remember any of the cartoony insulting nonsense growing up associated with the Black Hawks, but whether the history and intent is sufficient to keep the name remains to be seen.
I’m already at work on the Dodgers (what are they dodging?). Some suggestions:
The Los Angeles Haze.
The Los Angeles Traffic.
The Los Angeles Hipsters.
The Los Angeles Realtors.
The Los Angeles Water Bottles.
The Los Angeles Sprawl.
The Los Angeles Homeless.
@Michael Reynolds: the Los Angeles Silicones
@Michael Reynolds:
I suggest you ask around Brooklyn.
More appropriate for the Oakland/LA/Vegas “Raiders.”
@Michael Reynolds:
Once the Brookln Trolley Dodgers because of the trolley line adjacent to Ebbets Field.
@Michael Reynolds: @Kathy:
They were originally “The Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers” after the labyrinth oif trolley tracks in the borough; I suppose you had to dodge the trolley cars.
You’re welcome.
@charon:
@CSK:
I will say I’m surprised there is an actual reason and local reference for the name.
@Kathy:
My folks lived in Brooklyn when I was a baby, like my Dad I was a pretty rabid Dodger fan as a kid.
@Kathy:
Most of us here at OTB are absolute founts of inconsequential knowledge.
@charon:
My grandfather loved the Brooklyn Dodgers. He gave up on them in disgust when they betrayed him by moving to L.A.
@charon: @CSK:
When a team which is named for a regional item moves, it should change its name. Otherwise, you get a travesty like the Utah Jazz (which was originally located in New Orleans).
@Moosebreath:
Boston Braves > Milwaukee Braves > Atlanta Braves
@Jay L Gischer:
I doubt there’s a single sports team named “Warriors” in the US that isn’t related to Native imagery. In this case:
So, it’s certainly been a while but the origins are clear.
I think “Guardians of the Galaxy” is better.
My Fav is the LA Lakers. I mean what are they talking about? When they were in Minnesota it made sense. In LA there is no water until you hit the ocean. Certainly no lakes 🙂
The Reds name comes from Cincinnati Red Stockings, so no problems there, but it would be kinda cool if they followed Cleveland and renamed as the Cincinnati Flying Pigs or the Cincinnati Waterboys, although that last is more appropriate to the perennial loser Bengals.
@Rick DeMent:
I was going to post the exact same thing. It only makes sense if you know they were originally from Minnesota.
@EddieInCA: L. A. kers.
@Rick DeMent: @EddieInCA: I believe they were the Minneapolis Lakers.
@Rick DeMent:
@EddieInCA:
There’s a huge dry lake not far from LA, which hosts an Air Force base. The shuttle’s first missions landed there (very long runways).
@Rick DeMent:
Hollywood Reservoir, also known as Lake Hollywood, is a reservoir located in the Hollywood Hills, situated in the Santa Monica Mountains north of the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is maintained by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
@Moosebreath: “Otherwise, you get a travesty like the Utah Jazz (which was originally located in New Orleans).”
Or the LA Lakers…
@wr: Okay, fine, so everybody else in the world said it first…
@Michael Reynolds:
Assuming that this wasn’t a rhetorical question and you really didn’t know: trolleys. The Brooklyn Trolley-Dodgers were the original franchise.
This makes the Dodgers one of those wonderful cases of a franchise that has moved to a place where the rationale behind the original name is now laughably inappropriate. It’s not as good as the Utah Jazz (New Orleans) or the LA Lakers (Minneapolis) or the Tennessee Oilers (now Titans), but it’s pretty close.
ETA: boy was I late to the party there. That’s what happens when you get interrupted in mid-reply…
@DrDaveT:
So what? The name is as traditional as the uniforms and team colors, best not hold your breath waiting for any of them to change.
@charon:
I did say “wonderful”. A world in which the Utah Jazz are a thing is a richer world than one lacking such cognitive dissonance. I wish the Minnesota North Stars had kept their full name when they moved to Dallas, just to confuse people.
@DrDaveT:
If you really want to confuse people, call them the Fort Worth Knishes.
I like it. I’m glad they finally did the right thing. I feel like I’ll die of old age before the Braves ever budge, but I can hope to be wrong about that.
@Daryl and his brother Darryl:
Sweet pic!