Cleveland's baseball team goes from Indians to Guardians

CLEVELAND — For the first time since 1915, the Cleveland baseball franchise has a new name. The Guardians. Though the team's name will remain the same for the duration of this year, the organization will begin transitioning to Guardians at the conclusion of the 2021 season. It was made official Friday afternoon during a news conference at Progressive Field, which included a promotional video narrated by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, who spent three summers living in Cleveland and performing at Great Lakes Theater. "We are excited to usher in the next era of the deep history of baseball in Cleveland," team owner Paul Dolan said. "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 reflect those attributes that define us while drawing on the iconic Guardians of Traffic just outside the ballpark on the Hope Memorial Bridge. 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." According to the team, the name was chosen from nearly 1,200 options after surveying 40,000 fans and conducting 140-plus hours of interviews with fans, community leaders and front office personnel. Spiders, Rocks and Commodores were also considered. "We let fan insight drive our decisions," director of business operations Brian Barren said. "Through all of our research, three key things emerged. We believe Guardians reflects all three of these insights. The first one was to connect with the city of Cleveland in a genuine and authentic way. Second, to honor our rich Major League Baseball history here in Cleveland. And finally, to unite our community." "This is a historic moment for our franchise, and we are excited for our players and staff to debut our new team name and look in 2022," team President Chris Antonetti said. "We look forward to our team proudly representing the city of Cleveland as the Guardians." There is both change and continuity with the new name and logo. The primary red, white and blue colors will stay, as will the cursive lettering on the front of the jersey. The block C will be replaced by a diamond C and the logo is a baseball with wings and the letter G. Native American protests outside Progressive Field prior to the home opener had taken place for years, but the team name and Chief Wahoo logo came under increased scrutiny when a lawsuit was filed — and dismissed — during the 2016 ALCS in Toronto. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred got involved, pressing the team to change its name and logo. In order to host the All-Star Game in 2019, the Indians removed the Chief Wahoo logo from its uniforms. "We're trying to be the best Cleveland organization we can be and be united for everybody," manager Terry Francona said. "And represent Cleveland like it deserves. We are trying to be the most respectful we can and it's not about us. It's about other people. You have to step outside of your own skin and think about other people who may have different color skin and what they're thinking. I'm really proud of the organization." "We do feel like we're doing the right thing and that's what's driving this," Dolan said. "I know some people disagree, but, if anything, I've gotten more and more comfortable that we're headed in the right direction. And actually, the selection of the name solidifies that feeling because of the values that the name represents. We feel very, very good about that part." The team is bracing for criticism of the decision. Some fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure, but there were plenty who offered support. Former President Donald Trump, who is banned from Twitter, released a statement: "Can anybody believe that the Cleveland Indians, a storied and cherished baseball franchise since taking the name in 1915, are changing their name to the Guardians? Such a disgrace, and I guarantee that the people who are most angry about it are the many Indians of our Country. Wouldn't it be an honor to have a team named the Cleveland Indians, and wouldn't it be disrespectful to rip that name and logo off of those jerseys? The people of Cleveland cannot be thrilled and I, as a FORMER baseball fan, cannot believe things such as this are happening. A small group of people, with absolutely crazy ideas and policies, is forcing these changes to destroy our culture and heritage. At some point, the people will not take it anymore!" Dolan knows there is no way to please everyone. "We acknowledge the name change will be difficult for some and the transition will take time," he said. "The Indians will always be part of our history, just as Cleveland has always been the most important part of our identity. "I'm 63 years old, and they've been the Indians since I was aware of them, probably 4 or 5 years old, so it will take a long time. But we're not asking anybody to give up their memories or the history of the franchise. That will always be there and for people my age and older, most our life is going to be living as an Indian and not as a Guardian." Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @CAwesomeheimer on Twitter.