# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/61 "2020-09-20T15:46:17Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > So do orioles, cardinals, and diamondbacks. Emphasis added. [Nope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_diamondback_rattlesnake#Reproduction). There is the old [rattlesnake egg prank](https://www.instructables.com/id/Rattlesnake-Egg-Prank/), which never works on experienced herpetologists that remember that rattlesnakes don’t lay eggs 😉. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/62 "2020-09-20T15:48:41Z")
Doh! I must have been thinking of jackalopes. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/63 "2020-09-20T15:56:44Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Doh! I must have been thinking of jackalopes… Well, exactly! Pity that name is [already taken](https://www.jackalopes.org/). ---
**Author:** ![DreamsOfACheetah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@DreamsOfACheetah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreamsOfACheetah)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/64 "2020-09-22T15:16:37Z")
I’d be afraid of a Flaming River… (This is in response to Chronos post) I don’t know how to do the “quotes” thing ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/65 "2020-09-22T15:27:56Z")
Flaming Rivers would be out because people would shorten it to the Flamers which falls into that uncanny valley of too old fashioned to be insulting but too recent to be innocuous. ---
**Author:** ![DreamsOfACheetah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@DreamsOfACheetah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreamsOfACheetah)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/66 "2020-09-22T16:11:24Z")
Good point. It was more of an attempted humorous jab at Ohio anyway. But seriously, I do like the Spiders, that’s a decent name and a tribute to the past. Are there any predatory animals/birds that Ohio is known for whose names aren’t taken by other teams? ---
**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:** [September 22, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/67 "2020-09-22T16:22:29Z")
> [@DreamsOfACheetah](#): > > Are there any predatory animals/birds that Ohio is known for whose names aren’t taken by other teams? There are the famous buzzards of Hinckley, Ohio. 😃 > **[Nature Notes: The buzzards of Hinckley, Ohio](https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/lifestyle/travel_and_outdoors/nature-notes-the-buzzards-of-hinckley-ohio/article_6932a49c-320c-51fe-90de-533e1b1b53ab.html)** > > Just as the swallows return to the Mission of Capistrano every year on March 19, St. Joseph’s Day, the buzzards return to Hinckley, Ohio, every year on March 15. Historical ---
**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:** [September 22, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/68 "2020-09-22T16:23:48Z")
> [@DreamsOfACheetah](#): > > Are there any predatory animals/birds that Ohio is known for whose names aren’t taken by other teams? Kareem Hunt, maybe? ---
**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:** [September 22, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/69 "2020-09-22T16:23:53Z")
I just looked up some other proposed Spider logos. Anyone reminded of _The Thing_? Plus being hilariously _wrong_. [![](https://logodix.com/logo/1128547.jpg) ](https://logodix.com/logo/1128547.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/70 "2020-09-22T17:17:54Z")
> [@DreamsOfACheetah](#): > > Are there any predatory animals/birds that Ohio is known for whose names aren’t taken by other teams? Ohio’s state animals leave a lot to be desired in terms of fearsomeness. State Mammal: White-tailed Deer. Bucks is already taken by another professional team. Buckeyes (actually a tree) is taken by Ohio State. State Bird: Cardinal. Already taken by two pro teams. State Reptile. Black Racer snake. State Amphibian: Spotted Salamander State Frog (not sure why they need another amphibian): American Bullfrog State Insect: Ladybug State Fossil: _Isotelus maximus_ trilobite (Interestingly, the state fruit is the tomato, and the official state beverage is tomato juice. I am not making this up.) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/71 "2020-09-22T18:08:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > (Interestingly, the state fruit is the tomato, and the official state beverage is tomato juice. I am not making this up.) Hmmm…the Cleveland Tomatoes. Has a bit of ring, doesn’t it? ---
**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:** [September 23, 2020, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/72 "2020-09-23T03:15:52Z")
Trilobites are cool, but you don’t want to be called “a bunch of old fossils” or criticized for playing like a long-extinct arthropods. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/73 "2020-09-23T21:38:53Z")
I’ll propose “Comets” as a new name for the team. It relates to Cleveland’s claim as the birthplace of Rock and Roll (since “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and the Comets was very possibly the song that popularized the genre name), but avoids “Rockers” which would be too similar to the already-existing Rockies. In addition, it has the connotation of something that is fast and can deliver a hard blow, and is alliterative with the city name. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2020, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/74 "2020-09-23T21:50:08Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > I’ll propose “Comets” as a new name for the team. - Comets only shine brightly every few decades. 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/75 "2020-09-23T22:54:58Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Comets only shine brightly every few decades. > 🤣 In just a few more years, the time since the last Cleveland championship will be equal to the time between re-appearances of Halley’s Comet.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/76 "2020-09-24T10:54:13Z")
As a Clevelander, I like “Spiders” a heck of a lot more than “Comets”. That’s just too tenuous a connection. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/77 "2020-10-16T16:04:15Z")
Now that would be cool - if they could license the vintage WMMS Home of the Buzzard logo. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/78 "2020-10-20T21:53:53Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > …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. This brings up a point I have wondered about. Some people are against the team being named the Indians because it is an ethnicity. But the Indians themselves are not “Indians”. They are Native Americans. We named them after a different ethnicity. And maybe not even Native Americans as that is just a European name for their country anyway. Why aren’t the Indians objecting to being called Indians in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/79 "2020-10-20T22:05:37Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > Why aren’t the Indians objecting to being called Indians in the first place? I’ve heard some say that they like the name because it shows how stupid the palefaces are.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323/80 "2020-10-20T23:20:15Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > > [@RickJay](#): > > > > …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. > > This brings up a point I have wondered about. Some people are against the team being named the Indians because it is an ethnicity. But the Indians themselves are not “Indians”. They are Native Americans. We named them after a different ethnicity. And maybe not even Native Americans as that is just a European name for their country anyway. Why aren’t the Indians objecting to being called Indians in the first place? There’s a lot of disagreement among Native Americans/American Indians themselves over what terminology is best. They aren’t “Americans” because they are descended from people who were here before the Europeans labeled this place “America.” They aren’t “Indians” because that’s someone else’s name. Canada calls them “First Peoples.” That might be a good alternative. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-indians-considering-a-name-change-edit-its-guardians/914323.md?page=5)