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Next year, the Cleveland Indians will take up a new name: the Cleveland Guardians.
Officials announced the selection Friday morning (July 23), whittled down from a list of about 1,200 name options. It also comes with the input of 40,000 fans surveyed, plus 140 hours interviewing fans, local leaders and front officer personnel, the organization explained. This marks the first name change for the team since 1915.
Aiming for “continuity,” the Cleveland Guardians will keep the same color scheme and script with “slight changes to mimic the structural architecture of the Hope Memorial Bridge,” according to the MLB.
WKYC-TV also notes that beloved mascot Slider is also sticking around.
“‘Guardians’ reflects those attributes that define us while drawing on the iconic Guardians of Traffic just outside the ballpark on the Hope Memorial Bridge,” Owner Paul Dolan said in a statement, referring to the pride, resiliency and loyalty of Cleveland. “It brings to life the pride Clevelanders take in our city, and the way we fight together for all who choose to be part of the Cleveland baseball family. While ‘Indians’ will always be a part of our history, our new name will help unify our fans and city as we are all Cleveland Guardians.”
The MLB explains that “Progressive Field looms in the background” when people face the nearly-century-old, 43-foot-tall “Guardians of Traffic” sculptures.
Ohio Outdoor Sculpture keeps images and historical data on more than 1,500 outdoor sculptures statewide, including the “Guardians of Traffic.” Henry Hering carved each one in the early 1930s, and they remain Cleveland’s sole public Art Deco monuments.
The “Guardians of Traffic” aim to “symbolize progress, a concept that’s now trickling over to the city’s baseball team,” the MLB states.
News of the name change was a long time coming. Dolan — a “fifth-generation Clevelander” — penned a letter to fans in December, explaining the goal to “better unify our community” with the new name. He also pledged to listen and learn from the community, including the Native American community.
Read his full letter here.
Groups that have long advocated for the Cleveland Indians name change have issued statements in response to the change, including that it will help “create a place where Native American children and their families feel valued and fully seen,” and looking forward to future generations. The Cleveland Indigenous Coalition and the National Congress of American Indians “were both active contributors to [the team’s] listening and learning process,” the Cleveland Indians said, according to Cleveland's 19 News.
“This is a historic moment for our franchise, and we are excited for our players and staff to debut our new team name and look in 2022,” Cleveland’s president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said in a statement. “We look forward to our team proudly representing the city of Cleveland as the Guardians. Our club will strive to unite and inspire our entire community.”