Washington’s NFL is conducting a thorough review of its nickname. The Cleveland baseball team in MLB chimed in Friday with news that it is not sitting idly by with regard to the team’s nickname.
Another team has weighed in during these turbulent times rather than wait and have the controversy seek it out. Washington’s NFL team found itself under siege this week and finally announced it would undertake a thorough review of the nickname.
Here is what the American League team said:
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 4, 2020
Cleveland has had its nickname for 105 years. The team scuttled “Chief Wahoo,” a source of major controversy in 2019.
Starting in 2019, Chief Wahoo will be gone from all gameday uniforms and will no longer be used by the team at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The team had a long history with the Chief but ultimately decided it was time to move on.
Originally named the Blues in 1901 when they joined the American League, the team was renamed the Cleveland Naps in 1903 in honor of player Nap Lajoie. After Lajoie left the team, baseball writers helped rename the team the Cleveland Indians. In 1932, the Plain Dealer began publishing strips focused on the team’s outcomes and featured a Native American character.