Report: Cleveland Indians will drop team nickname
The Cleveland Indians have decided to drop their nickname and change to a new one, according to a report.
David Waldstein and Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reported Sunday that the organization has decided to change its name, with an announcement potentially as soon as this week. The decision comes after a review in light of protests from Native American groups and Washington’s NFL team making a similar decision on its former nickname.
No decision has been reached on a new name, and the change may not even be immediate. One source said the team plans to use the current Indians name and uniforms for 2021, with a change planned for 2022. One possibility is that the team will mimic the Washington Football Team and use a similar placeholder name while consulting with the public on a permanent change.
The franchise had been phasing out some symbols of the nickname in recent seasons. Now, they will get rid of the whole thing. We just don’t know when yet, or how the team will do it.