# 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:** 19
**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 27, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/362 "2021-07-27T15:20:34Z")
Ooo… I like the Buzzards! My main issue with Rockers is that it sounds too much like Rockies. And it is a bit too cutesy – sounds more like the name of a minor league team or a lesser followed professional sport league. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/363 "2021-07-27T15:32:16Z")
After the last run-in MLB had with Spiderman, I don’t blame Cleveland for going with “Guardians.” Does no-one remember 2004 and the Spiderman bases? ---
**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 27, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/364 "2021-07-27T15:38:48Z")
No, I don’t remember that. Care to remind me? ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/365 "2021-07-27T15:39:56Z")
A lot of people are afraid of spiders. On the other hand, a lot of people are afraid of snakes, yet we have the Diamondbacks. Still, I think it was a wise decision not to pick a name that would give a lot of people the creepy-crawlies. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/366 "2021-07-27T15:40:19Z")
Hype for “Spiderman 2.” They were going to decorate the bases with the logo. There was more than a bit of an uproar. > **[''Spider-Man'' ads to appear on MLB bases](https://ew.com/article/2004/05/06/spider-man-ads-appear-mlb-bases/)** > > ''Spider-Man'' ads to appear on MLB bases -- Some in the baseball world are upset by the commercialism ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/367 "2021-07-27T15:49:01Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Hard to say; I think that, as nouns, both “Braves” and “Chiefs” are more tightly bound to Native Americans (at least in U.S. parlance) than “Warriors” is, and I could easily see an attempt by either team to keep the name while changing their logos coming across as whitewashing the original inspiration, and not ending well. Southern Oregon University did something like this. Their team name was the red raiders, an allusion to Native Americans. They dropped ‘red’ then later adopted a bird of prey as their mascot while keeping the name ‘raiders.’ ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/368 "2021-07-27T16:07:26Z")
> [@Tabco](#): > > Southern Oregon University did something like this. Their team name was the red raiders, an allusion to Native Americans. They dropped ‘red’ then later adopted a bird of prey as their mascot while keeping the name ‘raiders.’ As a native Texan, the first thing I think of when I hear Red Raiders is the mascot for Texas Tech. He looks a lot more like Yosemite Sam than he does a Native American. ---
**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 27, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/369 "2021-07-27T16:23:40Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > “Rockers” would have been _way_ too cutesy Yes. And factor in the John Rocker connection, and how close it is to “Rockies”, and it’s a terrible name. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/370 "2021-07-27T16:25:31Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Nationals is a ridiculous name. What’s wrong with it? Some nicknames I don’t care for: Raptors, Predators. Too vague. Singular ones like Heat, Magic, Thunder. Kraken - both singular and really dumb. Great names: Blue Jackets, Pelicans. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/371 "2021-07-27T16:27:56Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > Kraken - both singular and really dumb. M-W says “kraken” can be either singular or plural. > **[Definition of KRAKEN](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kraken)** > > a gigantic tentacled sea monster of Scandinavian myth… See the full definition ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/372 "2021-07-27T16:31:21Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > M-W says “kraken” can be either singular or plural. My mistake. Just really dumb then. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/373 "2021-07-27T16:36:31Z")
How about the Jockstraps? ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/374 "2021-07-27T16:39:13Z")
Nine Inch Nails and Joe Walsh would like a word. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/375 "2021-07-27T16:53:31Z")
I think Guardians is probably the best they coulda done. They have those statues down the street from the stadium already, so there is some local history for the name. And Guardians sounds similar to Indians, so it’s not a total shift, phonically. Plus that whole “Guardians of the Galaxy” business is popular these days. I can understand why they went that way. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2021, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/376 "2021-07-27T16:58:55Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > How about the Jockstraps? - I could support that. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/377 "2021-07-27T16:59:30Z")
Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. That being said, they both went to California to boost their careers because LA is the actual city of rock in this country. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/378 "2021-07-27T19:00:23Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > “Rockers” would have been _way_ too cutesy. > [@pulykamell](#): > > And it is a bit too cutesy – sounds more like the name of a minor league team or a lesser followed professional sport league. Agree completely. It is my son’s Little League team name. When it’s something a 6-year old came up with you know it’s not good for MLB. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/379 "2021-07-27T19:45:34Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Agree completely. It is my son’s Little League team name. When it’s something a 6-year old came up with you know it’s not good for MLB. I just heard that my friend’s son’s little league team (league champs!) are called “The Chicken Nuggets” lol ---
**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 27, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/380 "2021-07-27T22:39:51Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > My mistake. Just really dumb then. Kraken is a fantastic team name. ---
**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 27, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/381 "2021-07-27T22:52:02Z")
Agreed. It’s probably the best team name, IMO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323.md?page=20)