(Cleveland) - After 105 years, the Cleveland Indians are considering changing the name of the team. The team released this statement Friday night:
We are committed to making a positive impact in our community and embrace our responsibility to advance social justice and equality. Our organization fully recognizes our team name is among the most visible ways in which we connect with the community.
We have had ongoing discussions organizationally on these issues. The recent social unrest in our community and our country has only underscored the need for us to keep improving as an organization on issues of social justice.
With that in mind, we are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name.
While the focus of the baseball world shifts to the excitement of an unprecedented 2020 season, we recognize our unique place in the community and are committed to listening, learning, and acting in the manner that can best unite and inspire our city and all those who support our team.
The team began using the nickname "Indians" in 1915. Team history says sportswriters chose it to honor Louis Sockalexis, a native American who was on the team. The former name, the Cleveland Naps, honored player/manager Nap LaJoie, who had just been traded to the Philadelphia Athletics.
(Copyright 2020, iHeartMedia)