Posted: Dec 14, 2020 2:38 PM ET | Last Updated: December 15, 2020
Cleveland s Major League Baseball team will change its name amid criticism that it is racist. However the team s owner says the change won t come in 2021. (Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Cleveland s Major League Baseball team is changing its name it just doesn t know to what or when.
Expressing that it s time, owner Paul Dolan said that after months of internal discussions and meetings with groups, including Native Americans who have sought to have the team stop using a moniker many deem racist, the American League franchise is dropping the name it has been known by since 1915.
The Associated Press
Dec 14, 2020
CLEVELAND â The Cleveland Indians are changing their name â they just donât know to what or when.
Expressing that âitâs time,â owner Paul Dolan said that after months of internal discussions and meetings with groups, including Native Americans who have sought to have the team stop using a moniker many deem racist, the American League franchise is dropping the name it has been known by since 1915.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Dolan said: âThe name is no longer acceptable in our world.â
Dolan said the team will continue to be called Indians until a new name is chosen. That âmulti-stageâ process is in its early stages and the team will play â and be branded â as the Indians at least through next season.
AP Interview: Cleveland Indians owner says name won’t change in 2021
FILE - In this July 10, 2020, file photo, Cleveland Indians Francisco Lindor runs the bases after hitting a home run during a simulated game at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The Indians are changing their name after 105 years, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020. After months of internal discussion prompted by public pressure and a national movement to remove racist names and symbols, the team is moving away from the name it has. David Dermer
FILE - James Watson, left, protests before a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians, Monday, April 1, 2019, in Cleveland. The Cleveland Indians are changing their name they just don t know to what or when. Expressing that “it s time, team owner Paul Dolan said that after months of internal discussions and meetings with groups, including Native Americans who have sought to have the tea
Cleveland Indians baseball team has announced it will change its name, saying it is no longer acceptable in our world .
Paul Dolan, the team s owner, said the title it has been using since 1915 would be dropped after the 2021 season ends.
Speaking to The Associated Press he said: The name is no longer acceptable in our world. Image: Owner and CEO Paul Dolan said he hoped the new name would take the team through multiple centuries
The team will now begin the difficult and complex process to identify a new name, he added.
Following the announcement, Advertisement
The outgoing president wrote: Oh no! What is going on? This is not good news, even for Indians . Cancel culture at work!
Dec 14, 2020
CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Indians today announced our decision to begin the process of changing from our team name “Indians.” Since July, we have conducted an extensive process to learn how our team name affected different constituencies and whether it aligned with our organizational values.
As a result of that process, we have decided to move forward with changing the current team name and determining a new, non-Native American based name for the franchise.
In our statement in June 2020, we acknowledged the importance of taking a leadership role in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the community and enhancing our support for underserved and under-represented groups. As part of that commitment, we heard from individuals and groups who shared a variety of views and opinions on the issue. We are deeply grateful for the interest and engagement from Native American communities, civic leaders, leading researchers, fans, corporate partners, pla