Seems to be a new story:
Good.
The Indians have cut back on the use of Chief Wahoo over the years, but it’s probably best to make a clean break.
Bring back the Spiders!
I vote for The Rockers.
I was thinking something like this, too.
Having now seen a proposed Cleveland Spiders logo:
Damn, that logo is tight as hell. You gotta go with that.
I’m not convinced the name change is necessary - an early notable player on the team was of Native American heritage, and by some accounts (challenged by others) the team was named partly in his honor - but it now seems inevitable.
Contest closed. It’s decided.
That is probably one of the best team logos EVER!
Bravo! It’s about time. It’s shameful that it took such extreme circumstances to bring the team to the table on this issue. The Spiders name and logo would be great choices.
And the Louis Sockalexis take is likely post hoc rationalisation.
Even if the Lou Sockalexis story is true, which it likely is not but let’s roll with it, so what?
99.5% of all fans today have no idea who Lou Sockalexis was.
The fact the name might originally have started with him doesn’t change the fact that naming a team after an ethnicity is very troublesome. If the Dodgers had renamed themselves the Los Angeles Negroes in Jackie Robinson’s honor when he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962, I don’t think many people would be cool with that.
The use of an ethnic name inevitably leads to displays that are more racist than the name. People show up to baseball games in Cleveland wearing war paint, redface and feather headdresses. The team finally got rid of the truly vile Chief Wahoo logo but people still wear that shit. The Atlanta Braves have a team nickname that’s actually much LESS racist and problematic - “Brave” is a military role, not an ethnicity, and is logically equivalent to “Knights” or “Marines” - but it results in racist horseshit like the Tomahawk Chop.
I’m not saying I have all the answers here, but shit, man, it’s just a team nickname; changing it is no real skin off anyone’s nose. Get with the times. Anyway, it’s an opportunity for Cleveland to make lots more money on some sweet Cleveland Spiders or Cleveland Rocks merch, and God knows they could use it because they sure don’t sell a lot of tickets.
I don’t like The Rocks. Does nothing but promote a (minor) private business not related to the team.
But it would be so cool to have that song as the team fight song.
Apparently Cleveland Guardians is also a popular choice, because of statues called that.
“Spiders” is way ahead in polls.
Just think of the puns possible with Spiders. Just “fly balls” has all sorts of possibilities. Or snaring a line drive in the webbing of the glove. Stadium renamed “The Web” (“The Dark Web” for night games) and decorated with giant, trapped flies. The safety netting reworked as webs. Mascot races where everyone has to crawl.
That and a Nineties sitcom in eternal syndication.
They’d have to license their mascot from Marvel Comics.
Scary…also resembles a scorpion. Considering how many people have spider phobias, I don’t think it’s a good idea, team history notwithstanding. Compare and contrast with the popularity of rock music, using any manner of guitar logo, cross-promotions with the Rock HOF, “Cleveland Rocks” slogan, etc… Rockers is the better way to go.
Too close to the Colorado Rockies?
(Possible response: no closer than the Reds are to the Red Sox.)
Easily fixed, the Rockies can just change their name to something else (Cleveland has seniority)
Another vote in favor of the name and the logo. And with there being some talk of DC’s football team actually making a name change before their 2020 season, I think there’s added pressure on Cleveland to make a decision sooner rather than later.
Now, if we can get FSU, Atlanta’s baseball team and Kansas City’s football team to drop their “chop” chants, we might be getting somewhere on this whole sports teams front.