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| The Cleveland Guardians name will officially be adopted starting next season. (Photo from MLB Website) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] Following the current moniker that drew criticism for decades from Native Americans, the Cleveland Indians are changing their name next season to the Cleveland Guardians, the Major League Baseball club announced Friday morning, CNN reported.
"You see, there's always been a Cleveland, that's the best part of our name," actor Tom Hanks says in a video announcement he narrated for the team, which posted it on Twitter. "And now it's time to unite as one family, one community, to build the next era for this team and this city." The move is part of a larger cultural shift across the US as corporate brands reexamine their use of racist caricatures and stereotypical names.
The team announced last year that it would be making a name change, joining the NFL's Washington Football Team to say in 2020 that it was moving on from a name evoking Native Americans. Cleveland removed the "Chief Wahoo" logo, a caricature of a Native American character, from its uniforms following the 2018 season. The choice of Guardians draws inspiration from Cleveland's architectural history. The Guardians of Traffic are the large art deco statues that adorn the Hope Memorial Bridge that connects the city's west side with the east side.
