Ok, now that I've gotten the click-bait pic out of the way, since either pictures of hot women or sunsets draw more pageviews than the actual words written or a serious picture....
A couple weeks ago I WROTE about the the Cleveland Indians making the decision to look into changing their name as The Washington Redskins were taking heat about their name...Washington has officially changed their name, for now to the Washington Football Team...That's because a really smart dickhead bought up the Trademarks to the top contenders...Dozens of names he owns now...But that's a different story....It was also the right after SEATTLE put on a huge production for their new Hockey team's name and logo...As the kids would say (by kids I mean 25-30-somethings who think they're being cool) IT'S FIRE!
Since the Indians announced they were looking into a name change, people have wrestled with the idea...Shit, I sit here writing this, drinking out of a Indians coffee mug my son got me...
I may have accepted that a name change is a good thing, but it's a good mug, I'm not throwing it away...
Why are people wrestling with it? Because they have these great memories from childhood, and young adulthood, and even middle aged...Going to games with dad...taking your kids to their first game...those teams in the 90's...Bob Feller...10 cent beer night...But then there's this....
The majority of us realized, and understand that "Blackface" is/was wrong and racist as fuck...Guess what? "Redface" is racist as fuck too! If you dig deep (I hate the term deep dive so I avoid saying that) into history you'll see that the name and logo aren't a good thing...
Since the organization came out talking about a name change, fans and talented artists have pumped out tons of mock-ups for the new name and logo...With The Cleveland Spiders being the front runner...While I don't love it, and my wife hates it because of her fear of spiders, it has a history tied to Cleveland Baseball...
Last week ownership met with players, discussing the name change...Owner, Paul Dolan also told the media, "we will engage Native American leaders to better understand their perspectives, meet with local civic leaders, and continue to listen to the perceptions of our players, fans, partners and employees.”
Dolan continued, “We feel a real sense of urgency to discuss these perspectives with key stakeholders while also taking the time needed to ensure those conversations are inclusive and meaningful.”
Thing is, the team is playing games, with the word Indians across their chests, and Chief Wahoo on their shoulder and it doesn't feel like there is really a sense of urgency...Just ask the Indigenous groups the team said it was going to meet with...The Cleveland American Indian Movement of Ohio told the Washington Post, "They have made statements now that they are going to reach out to the Native community, but no one in the Native community has heard anything from them.”
Am I and other expecting too much...Is Dolan dragging his feet...The Cleveland Indians brand is 105 years old...The Chief Wahoo cap one consistently one of the top selling for years and years...Rebranding does seem like a big move...I think some fans wanting the name change think it should be done just like ripping off a band-aid, real quick...Once you say you're considering something like that, the people onboard with the idea get geared up and want that instant gratification...
Personally, I think the organization is taking it slow purposely...I think they are hoping for the racial and social tension in this country calm down and the majority of people will forget about all this...I think saying they will discuss a name change was a PR move but they really don't want to change the brand...I expect a few more vague statements and then just hoping it all fades...
I hope I'm wrong...I grew up an Indians fan and I always loved Chief Wahoo...I have so many great memories from Municipal Stadium and Jacob's Field. (yeah I still call it the Jake)...But hey, I'm from Cleveland, and have many friends and family still there...the actual Cleveland Browns are in Baltimore, but everyone was able to move on with the new franchise that held onto the history and name...Cleveland can keep the history of The Indians and move forward with a new name...And maybe some sweet new merch that is thousand times better than the lame-ass block "C"....
1 comment:
Yes, they are dragging their feet on a name change and I hope they succeed at keeping the team name. I'm tired of all this re-writing of history. As far as the Browns: when they moved to Bmore, I stuck with the Saints who I adopted when the Colts when to Indy. I was a tyke when the Cleveland Browns shut out the Bmore Colts in the 1964 NFL title game.
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