# Cleveland Indians considering a name change \[Edit: It's "Guardians"\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [July 4, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323 "2020-07-04T20:53:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/202 "2020-12-28T15:10:07Z")
I’m having a really hard time deciding between the Spiders and the Cockroaches. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/203 "2020-12-28T15:31:56Z")
“Las Cucarachas” should be a Texas team or somewhere in the southwest. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/204 "2020-12-28T15:35:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > “Las Cucarachas” should be a Texas team or somewhere in the southwest. - When would they play? Cockroaches are nocturnal and once you turn on the lights… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/205 "2020-12-30T14:59:11Z")
They’d sure get around the bases fast! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/206 "2021-07-23T01:26:18Z")
[Rumors are they have chosen a name and are not announcing it yet.](https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/2021/07/cleveland-indians-have-picked-a-new-name-but-arent-quite-ready-to-announce-it.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/207 "2021-07-23T02:16:24Z")
Cleveland Rocks! ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/208 "2021-07-23T02:30:48Z")
If it’s really been decided it will be leaked very soon. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/209 "2021-07-23T02:35:16Z")
Good, if true. Now, do the Braves. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/210 "2021-07-23T03:01:52Z")
God I hope not. I far prefer the Spiders or anything that isn’t nearly identical to another MLB team name. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/211 "2021-07-23T04:11:38Z")
How about the Steamers? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlax/32/2927_2.png) [@Scarlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlax)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/212 "2021-07-23T14:11:55Z")
Wapo says it’s the Guardians ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/213 "2021-07-23T14:15:00Z")
Yes, Guardians. Tom Hanks narrated the video announcing the change: [Cleveland Indians on Twitter: “Together, we are all… https://t.co/R5FnT4kv1I” / Twitter](https://twitter.com/Indians/status/1418565355472101378) I was curious as to what the Guardians alluded to… apparently it’s based on this: [Hope Memorial Bridge - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Memorial_Bridge) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/214 "2021-07-23T14:22:00Z")
Ugh. Just… ugh. Now I’m thinking MCU and I can’t even. You just _know_ they chose this name for potential tie-ins with Disney, and now my day is ruined. Yeah, they named their $500,000,000 team after a bridge. That’s so cute. And completely believable. Not. Anyway, the name is as the name is. It’s an improvement, but a sideways one. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/215 "2021-07-23T14:26:49Z")
I’m not a sports fan, but the NHL team in Anaheim was named after a movie title. ([Anaheim Ducks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaheim_Ducks), “The club was founded in 1993 by The Walt Disney Company as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, a name based on the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks.”) There may be stupider origin stories for team names. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/216 "2021-07-23T14:27:33Z")
I completely forgot about that, and now I’m even more convinced there’s a Disney tie-in with this name change. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/217 "2021-07-23T14:41:08Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Yeah, they named their $500,000,000 team after a bridge. That’s so cute. And completely believable. Not. From what I understand the Guardians of Traffic are iconic in Cleveland, and when Cleveland announced a name change there were a number of fan made logos with the Guardians (as well as Spiders, the original name of the team, which was another popular name). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/218 "2021-07-23T14:44:21Z")
Guardians? Ugh. How boring. I was so looking forward to the Spiders. I suppose there’s enough arachnophobes out there to make it not the safest business decision. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/219 "2021-07-23T14:47:48Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > as well as Spiders, the original name of the team The [Spiders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Spiders) were actually a different team; they played in the National League in the 1890s, but when the National League contracted, they folded. The Indians came into being at about the same time that the Spiders ceased to exist; it appears that some of the Spiders’ assets were sold to the ownership of the Indians. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/220 "2021-07-23T14:49:58Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Now I’m thinking MCU and I can’t even. I have to admit my first thought was the DCU character The Guardian. Meh. I don’t foresee them doing anything Disney-related apart from the occasional promo night, just like every MLB club does every year. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/221 "2021-07-23T14:57:39Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Guardians? Ugh. How boring. I was so looking forward to the Spiders. I suppose there’s enough arachnophobes out there to make it not the safest business decision. I agree that it was a missed opportunity, “Spiders” was such a cool name, has a historical reference, and there are many branding opportunities. But Guardians is at least an improvement and it’s not awful, it’s less generic than a name like the Nationals or Athletics. (And they didn’t go with “Cleveland Baseball Team” like a different sports franchise in a similar situation.) > [@JohnT](#): > > Ugh. Just… ugh. Now I’m thinking MCU and I can’t even. You just _know_ they chose this name for potential tie-ins with Disney, and now my day is ruined. Like there would be no MCU tie-in with Spiders? [![](https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/5849980.jpg) ](https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/5849980.jpg) That film comes out in December by the way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323.md?page=12)