The Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Friday morning that it will be changing its name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians after the conclusion of the 2021 season.
“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,” team owner and Chairman Paul Dolan said in a press release.
The MLB baseball team has been named the Cleveland Indians for 121 years, ever since its founding in 1900.
A video posted on the team’s Twitter page says the Indians’ history contains many memorable moments, but it’s now time to unite through “change”:
Together, we are all... pic.twitter.com/R5FnT4kv1I
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2021
“We remember those moments as we move forward with change. You see, there’s always been Cleveland – that’s the best part of our name.
“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 who want to join us.”
“This is the city we love and the game we believe in. And, together, we are all Cleveland Guardians.”
According to the team’s website, the new name was chosen, in part, to connect the team to iconic outdoor sculptures near the team’s stadium:
“There are ties to the city through the "Guardians of Traffic" on the Hope Memorial Bridge. These sculptures on either side of the bridge are meant to symbolize progress.”
The “Guardians of Traffic” are sculptures of “winged Art Deco figures,” each holding “a different ground vehicle: a hay wagon, covered wagon, stage coach, passenger car, dump truck, concrete mixer, and two other trucks,” the Ohio Outdoor Sculpture website explains.