Cleveland Indians: MLB side to drop Indians nickname
Cleveland to change the name of their Major League Baseball team from Indians after 105 years; team will continue to be known as the Indians while the process of finding a new name continues
Monday 14 December 2020 20:06, UK
Major League Baseball's Cleveland team will drop their 'Indians' nickname after 105 years, following persistent criticism that the name was offensive to Native Americans.
The Cleveland team said in a statement they would begin the process of "determining a new, non-Native American based name for the franchise", citing a desire to "unify" their community.
"Hearing firsthand the stories and experiences of Native American people, we gained a deep understanding of how tribal communities feel about the team name and the detrimental effects it has on them," team owner Paul Dolan said.
The announcement comes amid a nationwide reckoning over racial inequality in the United States that prompted the National Football League's Washington franchise to drop their 'Redskins' nickname in July after 87 years.
The new name will go into use after the 2021 season, according to the New York Times, which first reported the story.
The two-time World Series winners said in 2018 that they were phasing out their 'Chief Wahoo' logo after it was heavily criticised as racist by Native American rights groups.
A push to eliminate racially insensitive material has intensified following the death of George Floyd in May this year, a black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis.
President Donald Trump tweeted his opposition to the change, writing: "Oh no! What is going on? This is not good news, even for "Indians". Cancel culture at work."
Cleveland have carried several other names, including the Lake Shores, Bluebirds, Broncos and Naps.
