News – CNN Angela Reyes (CNN) — The Cleveland Indians, formerly known as the Cleveland Indians, will change their name to the Cleveland Guardians (Guardianes de Cleveland) in the upcoming season, according to the Major League Baseball team, which announced the change on Friday morning, following years of criticism from local communities.
“Really, there has always been a Cleveland, and that is the best part of our name,” says actor Tom Hanks in a video announcement for the team, which he shared on Twitter.
“And now is the time to come together as a family, as a community, to build the next era for this team and this city,” he continues.
The measure is part of a larger cultural shift in the United States, where corporate brands are reconsidering their use of racist caricatures and stereotypical names.
“We recognize that changing our names will be difficult for some of us, and the transition will take time,” said Paul Dolan, the team’s owner.
“We have hope and faith that this change will lead us away from a path of separation and into a future in which our fans, the city, and the region are all together as Cleveland Guardians.”
“And you have to go out of your own skin and think about other people who might have a different skin tone and what they’re thinking about.”
And we try to be truly respectful, and I’m quite proud of our organization,” he adds.
The team said last year that it would change its name, aligning itself with the NFL’s Washington Football Club by announcing in 2020 that it would drop the denominacion that evoked Native Americans.
After the 2018 season, Cleveland removed the “Chief Wahoo” logo from their uniforms, which was a caricature of an indigenous character.
The choice of the title Guardians is based on Cleveland’s architectural history.
The Traffic Guardians are large art deco statues that adorn the Hope Memorial Bridge, which connects the city’s east and west sides.
NFL: Washington’s team is no longer known as the Redskins 0:31 “Indians will always be a element of our history, just as Cleveland has always been the most significant part of our identity,” said Dolan.
“In search of a new brand, we sought a name that embodied the pride, perseverance, and loyalty of the Clevelanders,” he added.
The club will keep its colors.
A “welcome and necessary” change Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first indigenous cabinet secretary, described the decision as a “welcome and necessary” change.
“It pleases me to see that Cleveland’s baseball team has finally changed its name.”
“The long-standing practice of using indigenous mascots and images in sports teams has been detrimental to indigenous communities,” Haaland wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Another prominent indigenous community activist praised the club’s choice.
Cleveland’s action demonstrates that sports teams can get rid of “danio” names and mascots, according to Crystal Echo Hawk, founder and executive director of IllumiNative.
“It’s an essential step toward correcting errors committed against indigenous peoples, and it’s a step toward justice,” Echo Hawk said in a statement.
Echo Hawk renamed himself to set an example for other sports teams with names that conjure up images of indigenous people.
The new Guardians, as chosen, will be the fifth name in the franchise’s 120-year history in the Major Leagues, following the Blues, Bronchos, and Naps.
El termino Indians, on the other hand, had the longest mandate: it dated back to 1915.
We’re all in this together.
pic.twitter.com/R5FnT4kv1I — Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2021 El equipo encuesta a 40.000 seguidores, realiza 140 horas de entrevistas avec simpatizantes, community leaders, and team members, and considers more than 1.190 names before deciding on Guardians, dijo.
“‘Guardians’ reflects the qualities that characterize us, while also drawing inspiration from the iconic Traffic Guardians just outside the baseball stadium on the Hope Memorial Bridge,” said Dolan in a team press release.
“Da life al orgullo qui sienten los Clevelanders de nuestra city y la forma en que luchamos juntos por todos los que eligen ser parte de la familia del beisbol de Cleveland,” exclaims.
“Although ‘Indians’ will always be a part of our history, our new name will help us to unite our fans and the city, as we are all Cleveland Guardians.”
CNN’s Terence Burlij, Nicquel Terry Ellis, Gregory Wallace, and David Close contributed to this report.
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