December 14, 2020
(Reuters) – Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Cleveland team will drop its “Indians” nickname after 105 years, following persistent criticism that the name was offensive to Native Americans, the franchise said on Monday.
The Cleveland team said in a statement it would begin the process of “determining a new, non-Native American based name for the franchise,” citing a desire to “unify” its community.
“Hearing firsthand the stories and experiences of Native American people, we gained a deep understanding of how tribal communities feel about the team name and the detrimental effects it has on them,” team owner Paul Dolan said in a written statement.
The announcement comes amid a nationwide reckoning over racial inequality in the United States that prompted the National Football League’s (NFL) Washington franchise to drop its “Redskins” nickname in July after 87 years.
The new name will go into use after the 2021 season, according to the New York Times, which first reported the story.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
