Cleveland renaming baseball team to Guardians after 2021 season
The Cleveland baseball team's new name will be the Guardians, the club announced on Friday.
Together, we are all... pic.twitter.com/R5FnT4kv1I
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2021
"In searching for a new brand, we sought a name that strongly reflects the pride, resiliency, and loyalty of Clevelanders," owner and CEO Paul Dolan said in a statement.
"Guardians embodies those defining attributes while drawing upon the iconic Guardians of Traffic proudly standing just outside Progressive Field on the Hope Memorial Bridge."
The franchise will continue to use Indians until the end of the 2021 season and will attempt to launch as the Guardians afterward, according to Dolan.
"We acknowledge the name change will be difficult for many of us, and the transition will take time," Dolan said. "It is our hope and belief this change will divert us from a divisive past, and instead steer us towards a future where our fans, city, and region are all united as Cleveland Guardians."
The name change is accompanied by new logos, which the club made available on their website.
Cleveland made the decision to abandon using Indians as its team name last December after it had been criticized for its offensiveness toward Native Americans.
The organization stopped using the "Chief Wahoo" logo prior to the 2019 season.