Cleveland Indians to Change Name – Why That is Actually Worse
People will say, “It’s just a name.”
How would you like it if someone looked at YOUR name and said, “Oh, it’s just a name, I’ll refer to you as DipShit Jr.” No, a name means so much more than just some letters forming a word. It’s a representation of a person, animal, TEAM, etc.
I grew up with the Cleveland Indians. (Put me in jail for saying the “I” word.) I was lucky enough to be too young to absorb the heartbreak of the 90’s World Series losses, albeit great years overall. However, I do remember magical moments like when Bill Selby hit a walk-off grand slam on the legendary Yankees closer, Mariano Rivera. I ran around my Bubbe’s house and slipped on the floor, hit my chin and started crying tears of joy. We all remember the ’07 playoff run and a BS rain delay ruining 2016.
Frankly, Indians Baseball made my childhood great and it continues as I transition into a young adult. Many are led to believe that the Indians got the name from the first-ever native-American player, Louis Sockalexis that played on Cleveland. However, it is a bit more complicated than that simple choice of honor. They thought the name would be temporary, but it just stuck…for 105 years.
Is the name itself offensive?
Well, Cleveland fans managed to live with the name for 105 years. Wear shirts and jerseys with the name… If it was that bad, why did it take so long to change? This is where my personal problem lies.
This name of “Indians” represents so much. Literally, over 100 years of baseball, millions of moments, championships and World Series seasons, star players that became Hall of Famers…the list goes on and on. To change that into something else just feels…wrong. It feels like a cutoff of the past and whatever this new name is will just not carry that same luster.
We live in a world where there is so much there to be offended by each and every day. The name of a historic baseball team that has been around for over 100 years is not one of them. It’s a shame the Cleveland Ownership and front office caved to the politically correct few.
Let me give an example.
Say, there is a popular movie in theaters with a few scenes that offend a slim portion of viewers. Does that mean they are going to stop playing the movie just because some people are offended? Absolutely not.
It’s sad to think that my future children, grandchildren (and honestly, myself ) won’t get to experience the magic of a Cleveland INDIANS game. The new name, regardless of the choice, just will be…different.
Interestingly enough, the name change itself likely will cause more of an uproar from fans than the actual name of Indians did. A lot of fans are not going to support the team because of this. I certainly will still watch any Cleveland Baseball Team, but I can see their frustrations and a reasonable cause to not root for the club. Just look here:
There’s proof.
Well, congratulations to the front office. Enjoy even more ticket sale losses for the upcoming season and beyond because of this terrible decision.
It’ll always be Indians to me!
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