Major League Baseball

Cleveland Indians announce nickname change: Introducing the Guardians

Updated Jul. 23, 2021 6:03 p.m. ET

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For the first time since 1914, the Major League Baseball team in Cleveland will be called something other than the Indians.

Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the Cleveland Guardians.

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The team announced the change Friday morning with a video narrated by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks.

The clip, just more than two minutes long, features images of Cleveland and team highlights, including footage of Hall of Fame slugger Frank Robinson, who became MLB’s first Black manager when Cleveland hired him in 1975.

"We remember those moments as we move forward with change," Hanks narrates. "You know 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."

This is not the first name change for the franchise, which was founded in 1901 as the Cleveland Blues. That lasted one year, giving way to the Bronchos in 1902. In 1903, they changed their name to the Naps, after star player Nap Lajoie — imagine the Los Angeles Shoheis?! — which they remained until Lajoie left after the 1914 season.

Since then, they had been known as the Indians.

The name change has been brewing for several years as sports teams have gradually moved away from insensitive nicknames and imagery. Cleveland stopped using its "Chief Wahoo" logo in 2018 and has been pondering a new nickname for more than a year. The choice of Guardians is a reference to the Hope Memorial Bridge near the team's stadium.

"We are excited to usher in the next era of the deep history of baseball in Cleveland," owner Paul Dolan said in a statement. "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."

The franchise will adopt the new nickname, logo and look following the 2021 season.

"This is a historic moment for our franchise, and we are excited for our players and staff to debut our new team name and look in 2022," president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said in a statement. "We look forward to our team proudly representing the city of Cleveland as the Guardians."

The change naturally drew a wide variety of reactions, with some questioning the choice of Guardians as the new nickname — as well as the overall design — while acknowledging that it was time for a change.

"First, bravo to the Cleveland franchise for acknowledging that their old nickname was offensive and for making a change on its own," FS1’s Rob Parker said. "But the Guardians? That sounds kinda U.S.F.L.-ish. It’s gonna take a while to get used to it. But the old nickname had to go. So I’m embracing the change."

Here are some more reactions to the news.

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