The Clevland Indians confirmed in a statement that they’re discussing a possible name change, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The statement suggested that the owners of the Cleveland Indians, as well as the upper management owners, are engaging in internal discussions about the future of the team’s name.
Cleveland has used the name since 1915 after undergoing several name changes. Initially, the team was called Cleveland Bluebirds when they entered the MLB in 1901.
In the past, the team has faced backlash over the Chief Wahoo logo, due to many calling the usage of a Native American image racist and insensitive.
The controversial Chief Wahoo logo was not adopted until 1947. Then in 2014, the use of the Chief Wahoo logo on team memorabilia was reduced to secondary status in favor of the letter “C.” Eventually, the Chief Wahoo logo was removed entirely from signage and uniforms in 2019.
The Cleveland organization acknowledged that recent protests in the multiple states across the country “underscored the need for us to keep improving as an organization on issues of social justice.”
