FanPost

What’s in a Name?

A Chief Wahoo is officially gone. For better or worse: the war is over, and Cleveland will move on from the controversial logo, and will focus on the Block C. There is a feeling among many of us, especially those who supported Chief Wahoo, that the name may be next. Activists push for the name to change as well, arguing the name is equally as demeaning to Native Americans as the logo. I do not particularly agree with this view, but I understand the tide working against references to Native American imagery is flooding all in its path. The name may change. My question is to what?

What have Other Teams Done?

History frequently offers good suggestions for those who read carefully. Unfortunately history lacks many good examples. Name changes in Major League Baseball are surprisingly radars, especially in the common era. It is not even a given that franchises which move cities will change their name. The modern Oakland Athletics were first the Philadelphia Athletics, then the Kansas City Athletics, and kept the name in California. The same goes for the modern Atlanta Braves. Starting in Boston, then in Milwaukee: the franchise kept their nickname in the South. Perhaps the most famous examples are the Giants and the Dodgers, which remain tied to their New York heritage across the prairies.

However, the most common example of name changes in MLB history remains relocation. The modern iterations of the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Baltimore Orioles all originated with different nicknames. Sadly none of these moves offer much of a guide. The Brewers were the Seattle Pilots for a single season prior to moving to Milwaukee. The Rangers were the Washington Senators for a decade before moving to Texas, the Twins the Senators for even longer. The Orioles are actually an original American League team...in St. Louis as the generally awful St. Louis Browns. Finally, we should all be familiar with the sad history of the Montreal Expos prior to moving to Washington.

What do all of these name changes have in common? They’re absolutely nothing like our situation. Texas and Minnesota had to change their names as calling any team outside of Washington, DC "The Senators" is ridiculous. The Browns were patently awful in St. Louis, and we’re in need of a name change moving back east. I suppose Washington could have kept the "Expos" as part of their franchise, but they have chosen to tie the Nats to the older Senators teams which struggled in the city before moving to Minnesota. Overall: nothing here really helps us in our current situation. History isn’t much of a guide, which is partly what makes the Indians changing their name so difficult. No team has ever really done it before, and we would be detaching this team from a name it has been called for over a century.

Some Local Flavor

The Indians are not the only, or even the first, Major League Baseball team in the city. The first team was an awful franchise called the Spiders. Some have suggested returning to this name, as it does hold some homage to local history. Cleveland also played host to a Negro League team called the Buckeyes. For obvious reasons there is zero chance the Indians change to the Buckeyes, but the Spiders could be an option.

The Cle-Scene addressed this previously in an article, and proposed several names:

The Cleveland Spiders (already mentioned)

The Cleveland Tribe (based off the team’s current colloquial nickname)

The Cleveland Arrows (ugh)

The Cleveland Guardians (after the statues on the four pillars bridge)

The Cleveland Sentinals (after the same bridge)

Some of these were well received, some were not. For the most part none really connect the team at all to the past, besides the Cleveland Tribe.

Outside of baseball Cleveland does have a relatively long history of other sports which have since moved on, these include:

Cleveland Rams (NFL)

Cleveland Barons (NHL)

Cleveland Rockers (WNBA)

What all these teams lack is really any flavor. The Rockers does mention the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

Local History

If the team chooses to try to emphasize some flavor of local history, there is much to lean on. Cleveland is best known for its connection to the steel industry, although a nearby NFL franchise seems to already have cornered the market on that reference. Cleveland also has a long history in automotive manufacturing, which could be played on as well. The city was founded around the time of the Ohio-Erie Canal, which was important for the city’s initial growth. Cleveland does have a few nicknames to play on: Cleveland is known as the Forest City for our green belt, we’re also known as the North Coast for Lake Erie. Overall, there are some things to pick from here as well, with some working better than others.

Name Concerns

Overall a name change would throw this franchise into turmoil. The Indians already suffer from negative connotations across their fan base, particularly for being cheap. Most Indians fans I know are not happy about losing Chief Wahoo, and I doubt they would respond better to changing the name. What makes matters worse for name changes is losing a connection to identity. The Cleveland Ballclub has been called the Indians for over a century, and all our best players are in the Hall of Fame as Indians. Bob Feller is an Indian, Jim Thome is an Indian. Tris Speaker is an Indian. Changing the name severs a connection to all of those players, as well as harming connections to the past. My parents are Indians fans, and a generation of kids are all connected to that name.

However, the Indians also suffer from a problem outside the city. A majority of their coverage nationally revolves around this controversy. We already have one franchise refusing to use our nickname. Retiring Wahoo will help this, but will likely only temporarily stem the tide. Unlike teams like the Braves and the Chiefs: we cannot distance ourselves from Native American references, as our name literally is their name. While changing the name could affect the franchise in a dire way locally, national pressure is inexcerably moving in the opposite direction.

Proposed Names

Which brings me to the final section: if we must change names, what would we choose to call this team? I will throw out some proposals, but please add ideas in the comments:

Cleveland Spiders

This has some advantages, as it is well known there was a baseball team called the Spiders in Cleveland (hell many fans seem to think the team was the Spiders at one point), but some disadvantages. First: many fans seem to hate the name. Second: the original Cleveland Spiders we’re god awful. Branding the team as the Spiders would help continuity, but also attaches yourself to a horrid history.

The Cleveland Tribe

For continuity sake: this name is the best as this nickname is universally used already. The only downside is it can connect the team to its old name in away some may find distasteful. I’m not sure how I feel about these critiques, but if national feedback is important to us, it could become a factor.

Cleveland Sentinals

I absolutely despise the name the Guardians, so I’m running with this idea from th Scene. It does have the benefit of connecting the team to a well known local piece of architecture, but seems bland to me. It’s also a clean break from the team’s history, which could become problematic.

Cleveland Rockers & Cleveland Buckeyes

These are historic names used by other teams. The Rockers are a more recent invention which might be OK, while the Buckeyes would pay homage to the team’s historic role in desegregation.

Cleveland Racers

Im throwing this out there as an idea to connect the team to its history in automotive manufacturing. It’s short, clicky, and different. Not sure how everyone feels about it but I kinda like it.

Cleveland Forest & Lake Shores

I don’t like either name, but if someone came up with a good name to connect us to one of our more commonly known nicknames it would be a plus in my book.

Parting Away...

Changing the name scares me for this franchise. I have no doubt everyone here would continue watching and supporting our team (even those if you who insist you would stop), but I’m also confident this ownership group could muck it up pretty easily. I don’t think this club does a great job marketing itself, and they have a history of ignoring fan feedback on these changes. The Block C in particular was pretty forced, and their recent big innovation on uniforms (those awful cream colored jerseys) leaves much to be desired. I don’t expect any changes coming soon, but this is something we may all need to accept in the coming years as the team faces its longest controversy.

UPDATE

"Cleveland Fellers" was a brilliant idea I totally missed

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