CLEVELAND (AP) – Before the Cleveland Indians make a final decision to change their name, they will listen to those who have offended the most in the past 105 years.
Owner Paul Dolan said the team will speak to Native American groups as one of the preliminary steps in the possible name change, which was pushed by a national movement this summer to remove racist symbols and monuments.
Earlier this week, Dolan, whose family took possession of the franchise in 2000, met with Cleveland players, members of the main office, and manager Terry Francona to discuss the possibility of the name change, as well as other issues. like social justice and race relations.
Dolan called the talks “sincere and productive.”
“Our players care about organization and feel strongly about social justice and racial equality,” Dolan said on the eve of the team’s delayed start to the season. “I support your interest in using your platform to unite our city and our nation through your actions.
“As I explained to our players, I am invested in engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to help determine the best path to take regarding our team name. In the coming weeks, we will engage Native American leaders to better understand their perspectives, meet with local civic leaders, and continue to listen to the insights of our players, fans, partners, and employees.
“We feel a real sense of urgency to discuss these perspectives with key stakeholders, while taking the time to ensure that those conversations are inclusive and meaningful.”
The Indians’ decision to consider a name change comes immediately after the Washington NFL team abandoned the Redskins name along with a logo that many consider racist and offensive. On Thursday, the soccer franchise said it will go through the Washington soccer team for the 2020 season until a new name is chosen full-time.
Dolan’s plans are viewed as “a big step forward” by Philip Yenyo, executive director of the Ohio American Indian Movement. He has been asked to meet with Dolan in the past, and the club has not yet contacted him.
And while encouraged by Dolan’s statement, Yenyo is skeptical about the team’s sincerity.
“I am very hopeful and I am trying to keep a positive attitude about it,” he said. “But with his past actions, it is difficult to control whether they are serious or not. They are still making claims on their stakeholders. If you are going to do the right thing, do the right thing. Your stakeholders have nothing to do with this. “
Joshua Hunt, vice chairman of the 500 Years Committee of Dignity and Resistance, also hopes that his defense will be invited to the discussions. Hunt said the committee will seek recognition from the team that its name and pet have long harmed Native Americans, while calling for all references to names and images to Native Americans to be removed.
“If they are not, they will only perpetuate harmful and racist stereotypes of Native Americans,” said Hunt, a Cleveland resident and citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma.
Chris Began, chairman of the 500-year-old Committee, wonders if the Indians will follow him.
“I think Dolan’s comments and actions are soft and fluffy,” he said. “The demand to advance social equality is here and now, karma is on the populous indigenous side and we will not go anywhere until we see a 100% change and see the Cleveland baseball team remove the images and the native pet.
“We have been to this crossroads before, so we will always anticipate that the franchise will drag its feet as it always dragged its feet as part of its slowdown tactics.”
Indians have shown a readiness to change.
They removed the controversial Chief Wahoo logo from their in-game caps and shirts after the 2018 season. The smiling cartoon had been part of the team’s history since the 1930s. Despite not being in game day dress for the team, Chief Wahoo still has some products available to the public.
Dolan said the team intends to share “regular updates as we go along” on the name change. The team has not definitively said it would eliminate the Indians, which has been its name since 1915, but there seems to be a push towards that.
Hunt feels the team is really considering a name change, but questioned the timing.
“I can’t help but think, wow, it took a series of tragedies for you to finally do the right thing … and this national conversation about racial inequality and how racism hurts black and brown people,” Hunt said. “I think there is sincerity, but the motivation seems suspicious.”
Francona said a few weeks ago that it was “time to move on” and change the name. Many Cleveland fans seem to be in favor of a new nickname as well, but there is some resistance from those who don’t see the Indians as an offensive term.
The Indians, who have not won a World Series title since 1948, will open the delayed COVID-19 season on Friday against the Kansas City Royals.
Before the game, various groups plan to demonstrate outside of the progressive field centered on the images of Native Americans in sports.
“We are not waiting for them to invite us to speak to them, we are not waiting for the change to occur, we are working to make that change happen,” Hunt said.
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Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona contributed to this report.
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