Cleveland Indians to Change Name After 105 Years

The Cleveland Indians are dropping their name after 105 years.

Amid a cultural reckoning with offensive uses of Native American imagery and names in sports, the team could stop using “Indians” as soon as the 2022 season.

Native American groups and some fans have protested the team’s name for decades. “The name is no longer acceptable in our world,” owner Paul Dolan said.

Cleveland retired the use of its former cartoon mascot known as “Chief Wahoo” after the 2018 season. It now uses a block letter “C” in the logo’s place. 

It’s A Movement: The NFL franchise currently known as the Washington Football Team announced an immediate end to using its former name, a racist slur, in July. Cleveland announced it would conduct a “throughout review” of its name hours later. 

Unlike Washington, the baseball team will keep its current name while it determines a new one.

Other professional sports teams that co-opt Native American terms in their names and imagery — like the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks and Kansas City Chiefs — have recently stated that they have no plans to change.