The reasoning behind the Cleveland’s MLB name change

Chania Crawford

The reasoning behind the Cleveland’s MLB name change

In the 2022 Baseball Season, Cleveland’s resident MLB team officially changed its name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians. The team was known as the Cleveland Indians from 1915 to 2021, and the decision to change the name came from a place of progression and new beginnings for the Cleveland baseball team. 

During the beginning stage of the name change process, the team spoke to several representatives from the Indigenous American community locally and nationally. 

The team was able to gather different opinions and viewpoints, ultimately helping their decision to officially change their name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians.  

According to the Cleveland Guardians website, they found several consistent themes throughout their discussion. Some of the themes they found are as follows:

• Many of the Native Americans we spoke with described feeling as though the true narrative of their people - the story of who they are - has been erased and replaced by things like our team name. For local Native families, the name can make it especially challenging for children to find a place for their Native identity in the community around them.
• Many of the groups we met with shared that pop culture has a large influence on how their community is perceived. They expressed a belief that instead of immediately thinking about modern members of society who may be doctors, teachers, or engineers, many people tend to first think of a caricature of “Indians.

The team additionally involved fans, stakeholders, and local Cleveland residents to vote and provide input on new name ideas, one of those ideas being the current name “Cleveland Guardians.” 

“We are committed to making a positive impact in our community and embrace our responsibility to advance social justice and equality.” The team said in a social media post. “Our organization fully recognizes our team name is among the most visible ways in which we connect with the community.”


The significance of the Cleveland Guardian’s name change 


There were many debates among Cleveland baseball fans on social media; many didn’t understand the need for a name change, while some fans did. Ultimately, it came down to the team looking to practice better Corporate Social Responsibility, cultural sensitivity and inclusivity.  

According to Investopedia, a world-leading source of financial terms, companies who engage in Corporate Social Responsibility are conscious of their impact on all aspects of society, including economic, social and environmental. 

It’s important to note when dealing with a situation such as a name change for the baseball team; the company needed to look at the bigger picture. Just because fans didn’t find the former name offensive and damaging to the reputation of American Indigenous people didn’t mean it wasn’t offensive. 

The company took the proper steps of having difficult conversations with the underrepresented community and found that it was in the best interest of their key publics to change the name to something non-offensive. 

To some, the name change may be seen as  “stupid” or unnecessary because the name “Cleveland Indians” never affected them negatively. Still, it’s important to put yourself in other people's shoes and look at these issues from a new perspective to truly understand the purpose of the name change. 

The name change created a sense of belonging between the team and its fans, especially for the American Indigenous community. No longer would the name “Cleveland Indians” perpetuate a caricature stereotype of the American Indigenous community. 

To read more about the process and decision-making behind the name change, visit the team's website at https://www.mlb.com/guardians/fans/cleteamname/key-learnings