CLEVELAND – The limelight for change shines on the Cleveland Indians.
Now that the NFL’s Washington Redskins have withdrawn their controversial nickname and logo after decades of opposition and amid a nationwide racial justice movement, the Indians appear to be the next major sports franchise that could take on a new identity.
Along with the Indians, who recently announced that for the first time in 105 years, they are in the early stages of a name change assessment, the heads of Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks, and Super Bowl champion Kansas City are beside the potential of sponsors withdraw their financial support.
For some, it’s time to change the sport’s nicknames, mascots, and symbols extensively as the country reckons with its heritage of racism.
“I understand that people are not ready to change or so quickly, or they hope that moment will pass. It is not, ”said activist Frances Danger, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole from Oklahoma. “And now that we’ve got what we need on the Redskins side, we’re going to start working on the others. We won’t let up. “
Washington announced on Monday that it would drop a nickname that had existed since 1933 and had become an embarrassing scar for the NFL franchise. The team buckled under financial pressure from sponsors such as FedEx, the shipping giant and owner of naming rights for the team’s stadium and other groups.
Indian manager Terry Francona admitted to having “mixed feelings” about the Redskins situation.
“I’m glad to see you respond to it,” he said Monday night. “I also think it was probably financially motivated. … You can’t always do things if the timing is right, if it suits you. That’s how I feel about it. I hope that our organization will lead instead of follow. “
While the debate over the Redskins nickname has been going on for years, the drastic change came only two weeks after owner Dan Snyder, who once said he would never change the team’s nickname, said the franchise was a “thorough” before taking his next step Review ”would be subjected.
Cleveland’s situation differs from that in Washington in several ways.
First, the Indians feel no heat from company sponsors. At least not in public.
When the Redskins announced their review earlier this month, the Indians released a statement within a few hours of Washington: “We are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to help us find the best way to handle our team name.”
The Indians did not promise to change their nickname. However, it is hard to imagine that they go through a detailed assessment and decide to stick to a nickname that Indian groups have long condemned as degrading and racist.
Cleveland showed willingness to rename itself when it pulled the controversial Chief Wahoo logo off its game jerseys and hats. While the red-faced, toothy cartoon is still present on some team items, its reduced status and removal of diamonds and signs around Progressive Field were welcomed as a positive move.
Even if the Indians decide to drop the nickname, numerous other levels – brand contracts, new logos, Major League Baseball approval – must be worked through before the change can take effect.
While the Indians seem open to a new identity, the Braves don’t move.
They have no intention of changing their nickname by telling season ticket holders in a letter last week that “we will always be the Atlanta Braves”. However, the team announced plans to review the team’s “Tomahawk Chop” ring – a tradition borrowed from the state of Florida’s high-performance football program in the early 1990s.
The Blackhawks also have no plans for a change. Her name honors a Native American leader, Black Hawk from Illinois’ Sac & Fox Nation. The NHL team said it plans to work harder to raise awareness of Black Hawk and “the important contributions of all Native Americans.”
“We are trying to honor the logo and be respectful,” said General Manager Stan Bowman. “There is certainly a fine line between respect and disrespect, and I think we want to do an even better job. I think the most important thing is to make it clear that we want to contribute to education. … I think we did a good job, but we want to do a better job. And I think we feel obliged to do that if we go forward. “
Part of Atlanta’s desire to keep a nickname the franchise company brought from Milwaukee in 1966 is due to the team’s “cultural working relationship” with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina and other tribal leaders with whom it is a regular works together.
But if teams want to make changes, Danger and other activists will continue to urge them to give up any connection to Indians who have been portrayed as mascots for generations.
“We are being led around without saying how we are seen,” she said. “It is a less bloody sequel to the fact that we are a side view. Choosing the right side of the story is not difficult, and I hope these teams will take this step side by side as we all work together to change the world. “
