Monday, July 26, 2021

From Indians to Guardians

So the new name of the Cleveland Indians is going to be the Cleveland Guardians. 

With all due respect to the Native Americans that were offended by the old name, all I can say is: Ugh. 

I really thought that they would go with no mascot – and be known simply as ‘Cleveland.’ It would have been a good solution. The offensive ‘Indians’ name would go away, but it would still be there in our memories. Plus, having no mascot would be unique, and sort of fit in with the minimalist approach of the Cleveland Browns and their plain orange helmets.

My second guess was that the team would go back to an earlier name – the Cleveland Spiders. Although I don’t like spiders (or any kind of insect or bug, for that matter), at least it would have introduced the concept of heritage. It wouldn’t even have needed a cartoon spider logo. The team would benefit from the historical equity of the earlier name, with some old-time lettering in the logo to drive the point home. 

In my mind’s eye, I can see how the team could have creatively transitioned back to the Spiders name, with a special ceremony at the old League Park where they played. The new Spiders could have worn vintage 1920s uniforms for the first season. It would have generated a lot of publicity and goodwill.

One of the stone Guardians
(Courtesy Wikipedia)
But no, the team will be called the Cleveland Guardians, a completely meaningless name. 

The Guardians name has a similar cadence to ‘Indians’ with the ‘-dians’ at the end, so it rolls off the tongue in a familiar way. But what does it honor? Carved stone gods on the Hope Memorial Bridge that very few people in Northern Ohio (much less the rest of the country) even know as ‘the Guardians of Traffic.’

I stopped being an Indians fan long ago, so I’m not too upset. I still root for the team for the sake of its fans. But the fans don’t seem to be too happy right now, judging by comments left on news websites and social media.

Anyway, a ‘guardian’ is defined as a defender, protector or keeper. 

What will the Cleveland Guardians be guarding or protecting? Not their historical legacy, that’s for sure. Maybe home plate?

But I wish the team good luck as they go forward next season with their new name, while the old team name heads off to the Happy Hunting Ground.

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6 comments:

  1. -Alan D HopewellJuly 26, 2021 at 6:39 AM

    Some of us felt that the team should be called the Buzzards,as the WMMS mascot also has a long Cleveland history, and had appeared in a baseball uniform in the past.
    Personally, I think they should have left it alone, and not bowed to the whiners.

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  2. LisaJuly 26, 2021 at 6:57 AM

    I agree Alan!

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  3. AnonymousJuly 26, 2021 at 7:41 AM

    I agree they should've went back to the Spiders.That name was classic and harkened back to the early days of baseball.Now with the Guardians, Cleveland will go into a deep funk and never be contenders again.

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  4. AnonymousJuly 26, 2021 at 8:33 AM

    Not to worry. You will be able to purchase all the Chief Wahoo merchandise you desire from any sporting goods store. If there is a market for it, they will be selling it. The Strongsville mall is still full of merchants selling everything "Indians" you could possibly want. I just picked up a sweet shirt with that Chief Wahoo in his batting stance - my favorite Indian logo.

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  5. Dennis ThompsonJuly 26, 2021 at 2:32 PM

    I think we should spin this into a "Guardians of the Galaxy" theme. Guardians of the American League! Rocket would make a great mascot. Or maybe Groot.

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  6. Dan BradyJuly 26, 2021 at 4:09 PM

    I think you might be right, Dennis, in that the name selection committee might have picked the name ‘Guardians’ because it would be seen as new and fresh because of the movie, as opposed to having a historical aspect that might turn off younger fans. Of course I’m betting that most die-hard Indian fans are older (40+) and only vaguely aware of that movie series.

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