Cleveland Indians Say They Will ‘Determine Best Path Forward’ on Name

After decades of resisting calls to change their team name, the Cleveland Indians announced on Friday that they were willing to engage in discussions about whether the name is appropriate in the wake of national calls for social justice and reform. “We are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name,” the team said in a statement released Friday night. The news that Cleveland is willing to discuss changing the name was greeted with surprise and enthusiasm from Philip Yenyo, the executive director of the American Indian Movement of Ohio. Mr. Yenyo has been protesting the name since 1991, often in the face of withering abuse from fans as they enter the gates of the team’s stadium on game days. Cleveland has used the same name since 1915, often accompanied by a caricature of a Native American, known as Chief Wahoo. The team phased out the Chief Wahoo logo last year, removing it from their uniforms and from walls and banners in the stadium. The Indians have said that the name was originally intended to honor a former Native American player, Louis Sockalexis, who played for the Cleveland Spiders, a major league club, in the 19th century. Some have suggested that Cleveland adopt Spiders as a replacement. In their statement on Friday, the team cited the “recent social unrest in our community and in our country” — a reference to the nationwide protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis — as spurring its revisiting of the name...MORE