They won’t be the Cleveland Baseball Team.
After months of speculation and internal discussion, the Cleveland Indians announced on Friday that they will be changing their team name to the Cleveland Guardians. The change is set to take place following the 2021 season.
The franchise originally announced its intention to shed the “Indians” name in December, acknowledging that the moniker is offensive and insensitive to indigenous peoples. Cleveland’s MLB team has been known as the Indians since 1915.
The organization revealed the name change with a 2-minute, 11-second video on Twitter, narrated by Tom Hanks.
“There’s always been Cleveland — that’s the best part of our name,” Hanks says in the video. “And now it’s time to unite as one family, one community to build the next era for this team and this city to keep watch and guard what makes this game the greatest. To come together and welcome all that want to join us.
“We are loyal. And proud. And resilient. We protect what we’ve earned and always defend it. Together we stand with all who understand what it means to be born and built from the Land. Because this is a city we love and the game we believe in. Together, we are all Cleveland Guardians.”
In 2018, the team first began distancing itself from its traditional imagery, as they stopped wearing the Chief Wahoo logo on their jerseys and caps.
Cleveland is the second team from a major professional sports league to undergo a rebranding in the past 12 months. Last July, Washington’s NFL franchise dropped its Redskins name and is temporarily playing as the Washington Football Team.