Cleveland Indians announce name change to Guardians

Terry Francona, manager of the Cleveland Indians, speaks during a press conference during the club's announcement of the name change to the Cleveland Guardians. Karen Schiely via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Cleveland Indians announce long-awaited name change to Guardians

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 7/23/21

The Cleveland Indians have finally announced their long-awaited name change.

In a video narrated by Tom Hanks posted to Twitter on Friday, the Cleveland ball club announced that it will next be known as the Guardians. The name change will go into effect after the 2021 season.

Together, we are all... pic.twitter.com/R5FnT4kv1I
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2021

Cleveland spent most of the last year shaving down a list of potential names that was over 1,000 more than a month ago. The process evidently accelerated quickly, with the club choosing Guardians as its next name.

Cleveland's Major League Baseball club is only the latest professional organization to announce a name change. The NFL's Washington Football Team recently dropped their previous name, as did the CFL's Edmonton Elks.

Cleveland's ball club had gone by its previous name since 1915. The name change comes after years of protest by Native American groups.

In 2018, Cleveland stopped wearing the controversial Chief Wahoo logo on its jerseys and hats. However, the team still sells merchandise with the logo on it despite backlash from Native American groups.

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