Cleveland Indians Dropping the Name They Have Had for 105 Years

Cleveland's Major League Baseball teams has been known as the "Indians" for 105 years. According to the New York Times, they are dropping the name and logo in 2021.

We saw something similar this year when the NFL team formerly known as the Washington Redskins dropped their name and logo. The team is currently known as the Washington Football team while they get all of their business affairs in line to roll out a new name and logo.

The Indians name is said to come from Louis Sockalexis who played for Cleveland in the 1890's and was supposedly, the first Native American pro ball player. The information around the name, logo and whether it was a tribute to Sockalexis is hotly debated.

Once Cleveland settles on a new name and logo, there will be three pro sports teams left with Native American logos and names; The Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) and the Atlanta Braves (MLB).

There is pressure on, all of the above teams to change their names and logos but there are no reports that any of the clubs are willing to do so at this time. Eventually, I believe they all will change under public pressure.

As a sports fan, I appreciate sports history and I don't find the names or logos offensive. That said, I'm not Native American and that is the point. Why protect a history that perpetuates stereotypes and offends large groups of people when we don't have to? Sports is supposed to be a fun, inclusive escape for everyone.