Cleveland's baseball team has a new name, having finally abandoned imagery and their prior team name that offended native peoples for decades.
MLB:
"We are excited to usher in the next era of the deep history of baseball in Cleveland," team owner and chairman Paul Dolan said through the team's press release. "Cleveland has and always will be the most important part of our identity. Therefore, we wanted a name that strongly represents the pride, resiliency and loyalty of Clevelanders.
"'Guardians' reflects those attributes that define us while drawing on the iconic Guardians of Traffic just outside the ballpark on the Hope Memorial Bridge. It brings to life the pride Clevelanders take in our city, and the way we fight together for all who choose to be part of the Cleveland baseball family. 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."
Progressive Field looms in the background when facing the 43-foot "Guardians of Traffic" that have stood tall for nearly 100 years on the Hope Memorial Bridge. These sculptures are meant to symbolize progress, a concept that's now trickling over to the city's baseball team.
Cleveland first announced last summer that it would begin having conversations with local community members and Native American groups about the possibility of a name change. The organization announced in December that it was beginning a search for its fifth name in franchise history — and first change since 1915
