Cleveland owner: Team won't change nickname in 2021
The Cleveland Major League Baseball team announced plans to change its nickname. However, the team isn't sure what the new name will be or when it'll make the change.
In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, team owner Paul Dolan said, “The name is no longer acceptable in our world.”
However, he admitted that the club doesn't want to adopt an interim name, such as "the Cleveland Baseball Team," saying the current nickname will stay for 2021.
“We’ll be the Indians in 2021 and then after that, it’s a difficult and complex process to identify a new name and do all the things you do around activating that name,” Dolan said. “We are going to work at as quick a pace as we can while doing it right.
“But we’re not going to do something just for the sake of doing it. We’re going to take the time we need to do it right.”
Cleveland fans seem excited about the change, which will signal a new era of baseball in the city. Multiple suggestions have been made for the franchise's next nickname, including the Spiders, Naps, Fellers, Rockers, Crows, Blue Sox, Great Lakers, Unions, Blues, Cinders, Hazards, Buckeyes and Dobys.
The decision to rename the franchise comes after the Washington Football Team changed its name ahead of the 2020 NFL season. Washington's NFL franchise still hasn't decided on a nickname but could do so ahead of the 2021 campaign.
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