Is it time for the Indians and Braves to change their nicknames?
Kiz: There’s no way anyone could sleep through the tragedy, the tears and the protests of 2020, which has been a wake-up call too loud for America to ignore. Yes, the country has bigger problems than the nicknames of sports teams, whether it’s the NFL franchise in Washington or major-league squads in Cleveland and Atlanta. Baseball is a game steeped in tradition, but sports also shape the way we view our society. So Is it time for the Indians and Braves to change their names?
Newman: As Rockies manager Bud Black noted on Monday, “it’s worth a discussion.” Cleveland skipper Terry Francona endorsed a change Sunday, saying it’s “time to move forward” with a new nickname. Meanwhile, the Braves gave no indication they’d consider a change — Atlanta released a statement saying the team “honors, supports, and values the Native American community.” But the team’s habit of distributing red foam tomahawks to the crowd for the Tomahawk Chop, which Cardinals pitcher and Cherokee Nation member Ryan Helsley called “a misrepresentation of Native Americans,” doesn’t exactly jibe with that sentiment.
Kiz: It blows my mind Cleveland refused to part ways with its ridiculous Chief Wahoo logo until 2019. On second thought …. present Major League Baseball with a thorny issue — whether it’s PEDs, sign-stealing or a racially offensive logo — and I’ve come to expect the game’s leadership to drag its feet rather than spring to action. Cleveland’s affinity for Wahoo is all the proof I need that there is no pride, honor or respect in the nickname. It needs to go. And so does that gosh-awful Tomahawk Chop down in Atlanta.
Newman: While we’re on the subject of the tardy eradication of racially insensitive names — and let’s not get sidetracked by how overdue the name change of D.C.’s football team is — the Baseball Writers’ Association of America should also remove Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ name from the MVP awards. Landis, MLB’s first commissioner from 1920 to 1944, upheld baseball’s color line and his legacy includes “documented racism,” according to the league’s official historian, John Thorn. Removing the giant text of his name from all future MVP awards is an easy call.
Kiz: Take a dive into the history of baseball in Cleveland, and you’ll discover there was a time when folks who loved the game in northern Ohio had affinity for teams named the Broncos and Spiders. Well, considering Cleveland’s painful relationship with Denver quarterback John Elway, I’m guessing Broncos will not be a seriously considered option when Cleveland considers changing its nickname. But Spiders? Now we’re talking. That logo could make for a cap all the cool kids would want to wear on the school bus (whenever COVID-19 allows school buses to start running again).
Newman: At a pivotal moment in race relations in America, let’s hope Cleveland makes the right decision. Based off statements by the club and Francona, it appears a name change is imminent. That means this is likely the last summer with an Indians moniker that has been around since 1915. What follows will be, like you said Kiz, a retail bonanza for the Cleveland club. I like the idea of “Spiders”, which was the name of Cleveland’s American Association/ National League team, or the city could pay homage to its original American League nickname, Blues, that they played under in 1901.