Cleveland Indians to become the Cleveland Guardians

DanoooME

above replacement level
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Mar 16, 2008
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I'm surprised no team has come up with selling the rights to the team nickname yet, since they sell everything else. It could be... the Cleveland Pokemon! Or the Cleveland Applebee's!
 

Red Right Ankle

Formerly the Story of Your Red Right Ankle
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Jul 2, 2006
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I vote for the Cleveland Hunters since the Rockies would object to the Cleveland Rocks. As an added bonus we could refer to their prospects as All the Young Dudes.
If we are going Bowie, Cleveland Strangers would be fun. They could call outs hit to the SS playing out of position in a shift, "Getting some strange."
 

Sad Sam Jones

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May 5, 2017
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Although there weren't any real explanatory articles at the time, enough has been pieced together to conclude there were really two factors when they chose Indians in early 1915 (aside from needing a new name because they'd just sold Nap Lajoie to the A's): They were looking for something intimidating or fierce, and the talk of baseball at the time were the "Miracle Braves" and then someone remembered the old Cleveland franchise in the National League had sometimes been referred to as the Indians. Decades later a PR guy invented a story in the media guide about how it was meant to be an honor for Louis Sockalexis. It's true Sockalexis was the reason that NL team was referred as the Indians in the papers, but no one was making honorable declarations of minorities during one of most openly racist eras of our country and there was zero contemporary evidence of it (and especially no evidence of the contest the writer made up whole cloth). The team cut ties with that story a few decades ago. They also cut ties with Cheif Wahoo two years ago.

I think there are just as objectionable names in sports and certainly worse iconography, but I'm ready to move on for the right name. There's just no reason to stick with a name that's offensive or questionably offensive when there endless possibilities that aren't.

I've warmed to Guardians (the "Guardians of Traffic" on the Hope Memorial Bridge). I have kind of a love/hate relationship with the Spiders name. Pretty much everything else I've heard is terrible. I did see a suggestion today of Woollybears – I think it was meant as a joke, and most fans would hate it because it's too "minor league", but I kind of love it. Vermilion (Cleveland area) has a famous Woollybear Festival that was started by Dick Goddard, the Channel 8 weatherman and Cleveland icon, who died earlier this year.
 

Leather

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Jul 18, 2005
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I have to say that I agree with this. Since when is naming a team, or anything for that matter, after something else automatically racist? The chief needs to go, as do the tomahawks. But it doesn't make sense that a team would choose a name based on mocking a culture. If anything isn't it flattering as long as it's done respectfully?
So would The Düsseldorf Jews be ok, as long as the mascot didn’t have a big nose?

Baseball is the national sport of the nation that had a large part in nearly exterminating Native Americans, and then treated, and continues to treat, the survivors like shit.
 

glennhoffmania

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So would The Düsseldorf Jews be ok, as long as the mascot didn’t have a big nose?

Baseball is the national sport of the nation that had a large part in nearly exterminating Native Americans, and then treated, and continues to treat, the survivors like shit.
I think the Dusseldorf Jews would clearly not be mistaken for an attempt to honor or strive to be jews, so not, it isn't at all the same. And I have no problem with Cleveland changing its name since the term "indian" is considered an insult to many. But Chiefs? Braves? No, that's not derogatory and not at all the same.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
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The Cuyahogas of Cleveland has a nice ring. The CC alliteration could lead to a cool graphic design. It could also end up looking like a minor league affiliate.
As stated upthread, I favor this name. And now you've given me a thought of having CC Sabathia throwing out the first pitch at Opening Day where all attendees would be given replica 2007 AL Central Champs rings.
 

barbed wire Bob

crippled by fear
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So would The Düsseldorf Jews be ok, as long as the mascot didn’t have a big nose?

Baseball is the national sport of the nation that had a large part in nearly exterminating Native Americans, and then treated, and continues to treat, the survivors like shit.
The problem is that many of the Native Americans, at least in the western US prefer “Indian“ as a descriptor rather than “Native American.” This is an old editorial from the Native Times
During the activist days of the 1960s and 70s the U. S. Government responded to the activists’ protests by proposing the term "Native American." And so the anti-government activists decided to accept the name Native American, a name suggested by the United States Government, a government that they despised. Say what?

The other arguable explanation was Columbus’s use of the term "una gest in Dios" or "a people in God" which was reduced to "Indios" for every day usage by the Spaniards and later was further changed to "Indian" as the word moved north. And what’s more we hear that in 1492 Columbus could not have thought he had reached the Indies because at that time there was no Indies, but they instead were called Hindustan.

That sad part of this entire fiasco is that so many of the so-called "elitist Indians" have allowed themselves to be bullied into using the name "Native Americans" and even "Native" by a white media that seems to have set the agenda for what we should be called.

One elderly Lakota man from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation said recently, "If some Indians want to be called Native Americans or Natives, let them be called that, but I was born an Indian and I shall die an Indian.

So if you travel to any Indian reservation out west you will soon discover that nearly all of the indigenous people refer to themselves as "Indian," especially the elders who are still fluent in their Indian language. As Chief Oliver Red Cloud said a few years before he died, "I am Lakota and I am Indian."
 

barbed wire Bob

crippled by fear
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So you want more soccer names like Red Bulls?

weren’t the Packers and Pistons named for companies?
The Packers were named for their sponsor, the Indian Packing Company but I don’t believed they ever owned even part of the team. The Pistons original owner also owned a foundry that cast pistons for the auto industry so he named the team after him and the product that made his fortune.
 

Awesome Fossum

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Jul 20, 2005
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I'm surprised no team has come up with selling the rights to the team nickname yet, since they sell everything else. It could be... the Cleveland Pokemon! Or the Cleveland Applebee's!
One example that nearly came to pass: the NBA disallowed the Vancouver Grizzlies becoming the Memphis Express as part of the FedEx Forum naming rights.

The NBA will not allow teams to be named for corporations, meaning the Vancouver Grizzlies will not become the Memphis Express if the league approves the move.

FedEx Corp. is ready to buy naming rights to a new arena if the NBA grants permission for the Grizzlies to relocate to Memphis. The company hoped to include a corporate nickname in the approximately $100-million deal.

But Joel Litvin, the NBA's executive vice-president of legal and business affairs, said Monday the league forbids a corporate nickname.
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/nba-rejects-memphis-express-moniker-1.278813
 

oumbi

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Jun 15, 2006
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I have to say that I agree with this. Since when is naming a team, or anything for that matter, after something else automatically racist? The chief needs to go, as do the tomahawks. But it doesn't make sense that a team would choose a name based on mocking a culture. If anything isn't it flattering as long as it's done respectfully?
But of course, as long as it is done respectfully....as in below.

37147
 

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notmannysfault

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How about the Cleveland Indianans in honor of their next-door neighbor to the west?
Which brings up the obvious question:

How is that State getting away with such inaction? Shouldn't they be next to step up and make the change?
 

CarolinaBeerGuy

Don't know him from Adam
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Mar 14, 2006
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Is there a connection between the name Guardians and the city of Cleveland? I'm pretty neutral on the logo, but not loving the name unless there's something I'm missing.
 

AbbyNoho

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Jan 20, 2006
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Sad Sam Jones

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Of the obvious candidates, Guardians was my preference. I wouldn't have minded Commodores either. I'm relieved they avoided Spiders and I absolutely hated any rock & roll reference. Guardians should age well since it can adapt to either a fun or stoic look. The winged G might be okay if they drop the generic baseball from that logo. The script Guardians will probably grow on me, and I already love the Cleveland branding… finally a "Block C" with some character.
 

BlackJack

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Oct 11, 2007
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Of the obvious candidates, Guardians was my preference. I wouldn't have minded Commodores either. I'm relieved they avoided Spiders and I absolutely hated any rock & roll reference. Guardians should age well since it can adapt to either a fun or stoic look. The winged G might be okay if they drop the generic baseball from that logo. The script Guardians will probably grow on me, and I already love the Cleveland branding… finally a "Block C" with some character.
Why?
 

Murderer's Crow

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Jul 15, 2005
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It's horrible but not worse than something like "Athletics." I'm guessing they'll just be called the Cleveland Gs and you'll hear horrible calls on ESPN like "THAT WAS NOT RATED G!"