Welcome to the land of wokeism. Where even America’s pass-time is willing to throw tradition out the window.
Cleveland Indians are now the Cleveland Guardians.
What is a guardian? It’s just a GUARD! Adding “ian” doesn’t make it any better. But let’s roll with the new name for just a bit.
What exactly are the former Indians guarding? It’s certainly not their history.
In 1915 Cleveland’s owner asked the local baseball writers to come up with a new name. Based on their input, the team was renamed the Cleveland Indians. It is claimed that the nickname “Indians” references Cleveland Spiders baseball club during the time when Louis Sockalexis, a Native American, had played in Cleveland (1897–99). However, this claim was contested by sportswriter Joe Posnanski who argued, “Why exactly would people in Cleveland — this in a time when Native Americans were generally viewed as subhuman in America — name their team after a relatively minor and certainly troubled outfielder?” Sockalexis played only 96 games over three seasons, compiling just 367 at bats in his career. Sockalexis also “had to deal with horrendous racism, terrible taunts, whoops from the crowd, and so on,” according to Posnanski.
History professor Jonathan Zimmerman adds that the franchise was named the Indians by local baseball writers not to honor Sockalexis, but as a reference to the “fun” that he would inspire in crowds and the fact that journalists jokingly referred to the club as the “Cleveland Indians,” even though it was officially named the Spiders. “In place of the Naps, we’ll have the Indians, on the warpath all the time, and eager for scalps to dangle at their belts,” wrote an article in the Cleveland Leader of January 17, 1915.
Keep in mind that Cleveland had many name changes prior to 1915, when they settled almost universally on “Indians”.
But along with part of the Indian’s history is the fact that at one point they boasted one of the first women owners.
By 1916, Somers was at the end of his tether, and sold the team to a syndicate headed by Chicago railroad contractor James C. “Jack” Dunn. Dunn contracted influenza, which lingered for months, and eventually died at his home in Chicago on June 9. Accordingly, control of the team passed to his widow, Edith Dunn, and his estate; making Mrs. Dunn among the first women to own a major league baseball team. However, Mrs. Dunn had no interest in running the team, leaving the decision-making to Ernest Barnard, who served as general manager since 1903.
And there is plenty more history of the Cleveland Indians in which they can be proud.
So what kind of guard allows some “woke” white person to destroy decades of a legacy? The team was named after a group of people known for their fierceness. And now they are just guards. Mall cops? Neighborhood watchmen? Sure, because those guards are fierce.
The announcement itself is tactless, at best. These leftists even got Tom Hanks to be their “voice of reason.”
Together, we are all… pic.twitter.com/R5FnT4kv1I
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2021
As a white male, can any Native American explain why this team’s name/logo is offensive? What outrage was shown that the name needed to be changed? Cause I have only seen white people complaining about something they think they should feel offence towards
— Michael Piqué (@Minimish28) July 23, 2021
You can bet President Trump had a reaction.
“Can anybody believe that the Cleveland Indians, a storied and cherished baseball franchise since taking the name in 1915, are changing their name to the Guardians? Such a disgrace, and I guarantee that the people who are most angry about it are the many Indians of our Country. Wouldn’t it be an honor to have a team named the Cleveland Indians, and wouldn’t it be disrespectful to rip that name and logo off of those jerseys? The people of Cleveland cannot be thrilled and I, as a FORMER baseball fan, cannot believe things such as this are happening. A small group of people, with absolutely crazy ideas and policies, is forcing these changes to destroy our culture and heritage. At some point, the people will not take it anymore!”
At least the Indians got their name and heritage back, right? That certainly will make everything right. Let’s see how long it takes the Guardians to win a World Series. And while we wait on that, let’s consider changing the Cleveland Browns’ name. After all, Latinos may not appreciate the existing name.