The Cleveland Indians have agreed to remove the Chief Wahoo logo, which for decades has been publicly protested as racist and offensive. “[T]he logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball,” said Commissioner Rob Manfred.
The Cleveland Indians are taking a hard look at their own name. The MLB franchise released a statement saying the team is “committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name.”
The Indians removed the “Chief Wahoo” logo from their uniforms after the 2018 season ended.
The full statement from the Indians is as follows:
“We are committed to making a positive impact in our community and embrace our responsibility to advance social justice and equality. Our organization fully recognizes our team name is among the most visible ways in which we connect with the community.
“We have had ongoing discussions organizationally on these issues. The recent social unrest in our community and our country has only underscored the need for us to keep improving as an organization on issues of social justice.
“With that in mind, we are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name.
“While the focus of the baseball world shifts to the excitement of an unprecedented 2020 season, we recognize our unique place in the community and are committed to listening, learning, and acting in the manner that can best unite and inspire our city and all those who support our team.”
