Now that the Cleveland Indians have changed their name...

[brush]

to the Guardians (ugh). I just found out there was a real Native American who starred for them in the early 20th century...Louis Sockalexis. He's part of the reason they were callled that.
If it hadn't been for that stupid, insulting Chief Wahoo logo, there might not have been a controversy over the Indians name.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Sockalexis

I see the Atlanta Braves are still hanging with their name.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. And the Commanders

(formerly the Washington Redskins) is another stupid name.

Personally, I'd have named them the Washing Azaleas, or the Washington Cherry Blossoms. Just imagine the uniforms!

[brush]

2. Heehee. I kinda like the Cherry Blossoms.

Hate the Commanders too.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. Don't you just love imagining what the uniforms

of the Washington Cherry Blossoms would look like?

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Louis was a Penobscot Indian, born in Maine.

Just thought I would add that to your thread.

[brush]

6. Yes. Interesting history.

[Backseat Driver]

11. Any relation to Lt Colonel Donald Penobscot,

"Hot Lips" Hoolihan's infamous squeeze in M.A.S.H.? Think he would have worn fashionable "dress greens" uniform.

[blm]

4. Nope. "Keep the name" side came up with that 'honor' only after

the buzz to change the name became louder. There was no deep history of Indians being named for him. Those fighting to keep the name Indians latched onto that claim the team was named to honor a native Indian player. Not true.

[brush]

5. What? I don't understand that sentence.

[brush]

7. It's history. He was called the Cleveland Indian.

It's interesting history, maybe had some influence...they were called "The Spiders" and "The Naps" (honoring Napolean Lajoie) before that.

I never heard of that so-called "keep the name side" you mentioned and I've been monitoring this issue for many years.

[blm]

8. The side protesting the name change.

I know the Cleveland story really well. I even grew up reading Cy Young’s personal scrap book that his mother started.

And it’s Napoleon Lajoie. My all time favorite Cleveland player.

[brush]

14. Oops. I misspelled LaJoie.Fixed it.

[Stuart G]

10. Well, this one I didn't know...So when you have seen it all...there is more: ...Guardians...(ugh)

[NBachers]

12. I think the Steamers would be a much better name.

[303squadron]

13. Cleveland should have gone back to the "Spiders" name

1899, they hold a record.

[brush]

15. The Spiders, The Naps or The Tribe. Anything but The Guardians.

It's a historic franchise. I hate to see it get stuck with just an un-hip name.

[jmowreader]

18. A record of absolute disaster, that is

I think I’m the only person in America who likes the new name.

[sl8]

16. Wikipedia's source for that claim actually contradicts that story

The source is a Keith Olbermann video in which he says the Sockalexis story is false.

From the article's footnote #11:

https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/Pd-WzvXAuMc

[brush]

17. So Sockalexis was a Native American and he played for the Cleveland team.

The Chief Wahoo logo is of course disgraceful, that's not in dispute. How the team got the name Indians is cleared up more by the video...there was some kind of land rush to be associated with anything Native American.

That's good to know. Seems the racist logo was the real bone of contention. I'm glad it's gone. None of that though makes the name Gladiators any more palatable.