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Indian manager says time to change team name

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The Washington NFL franchise’s announcement of a “thorough review” of its name has been interpreted as a decision to change it. The Cleveland MLB franchise’s decision to consider changing its name was not. Maybe now it should be.

“I think it’s time to move on,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said of the name on Sunday. Associated press.

“I thought about it and thought about it before I released this statement,” said Francona. “I know that in the past, when I was asked if it was our name or Chef Wahoo, I think I would usually answer and I would say that we never try to be disrespectful. . . . And I still feel that. But I don’t think it’s a good enough answer today. I think it’s time to move on. It is a very difficult subject. It’s also tricky. “

For years, the name of Washington has been under attack. The name Cleveland, a generic reference to Native Americans, has not met with remote opposition near that. When Chef Wahoo’s caricature left, the name didn’t.

“Even at my age, you don’t want to be too old to learn or realize this, maybe I was ignoring some things, I was ashamed of it and I was trying to be better,” said Francona. “I’m glad we are open to listening, because I think it’s probably the most important thing right now, is being willing to listen, not necessarily just talking.”

This is an important position, given that “Indians” are not a dictionary defined insult. And it also raises the question of whether the leaders will engage in a similar discussion. Even if the Chiefs don’t explore the issue for themselves, Francona’s comments probably make it inevitable that Coach Andy Reid will be asked about it during his next video conference with reporters.

Like Indians, chiefs are not an insult; there is no obvious urgency to change names that are not insults. But current racial arithmetic and arousal is widespread, and if the names of the Indians disappear, it will be difficult for the chiefs to avoid the conversation altogether, even if in the end the chiefs decide to keep the name.

If they do, that’s fine with me. The point is, right now all teams with Native American names should step back and confirm that this is the right name to keep moving forward.

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