Sports
Cleveland Guardians Name Change: Reactions Differ Widely
The White House issued a statement supporting the name change. Former President Donald Trump hates it. How do you feel?
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians will soon be known as the Cleveland Guardians and reactions to the name change have varied widely.
During a press briefing at the White House, Press Secretary Jen Psaski said the Biden administration "certainly supports the new name," Reuters' Jeff Mason reported. This marked another difference between Biden and the former administration.
Donald Trump issued a statement calling himself a "former baseball fan" and decrying the name change.
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"The people of Cleveland cannot be thrilled and I, as a FORMER baseball fan, cannot believe things such as this are happening," he said.
Reactions in Ohio were predictably divisive, with some lamenting the loss of the name while others celebrating a more inclusive moniker for the franchise. Most emphasized that Cleveland's baseball team would still be Cleveland's baseball team, regardless of the name.
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Don't act like there's some perfect word that all you Mad Dad Cleveland fans would have been happy about. You'll be fine. Everything's fine. Go Guardians. #MadDads
— Mike Polk Jr. (@mikepolkjr) July 23, 2021
So the @MLB team Cleveland are changing their name from the @Indians to the #Guardians. As a Native journalist that has covered sports and Native mascots for years -- I am so glad to say goodbye to the horrendous image of #ChiefWahoo Here are my thoughts in a #thread pic.twitter.com/QaHcjvlPzB
— Vincent Schilling (@VinceSchilling) July 23, 2021
Below from my buddy. Every person i’ve heard from today feels the exact same way. pic.twitter.com/GhUrzaT7cu
— Josh Mandel (@JoshMandelOhio) July 23, 2021
Baseball fans outside of Ohio were unaware of the Guardians origin. Award-winning comic creator Derf Backderf provided some background.
For everyone going WTF about the new Cleveland Guardians, the team has been re-named after the beloved art deco statues on the historic bridge over the river at the Ballpark's doors. They're the Guardians of Traffic. Here's one. There's eight total. They're awesome. pic.twitter.com/xYmBLNI02I
— Derf Backderf (@DerfBackderf) July 23, 2021
Members of the Cleveland team also seemed enthused by the change, even if for personal reasons.
My oldest brother plays for the Fubon Guardians in Taiwan and I play for the Cleveland Guardians in America! WE ARE THE GUARDIANS #supercool @Indians @FubonGuardians pic.twitter.com/A9SZ71wwAL
— Yu Chang 張育成 (@YutheSouljaBoy) July 23, 2021
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