CLEVELAND — President Donald Trump has weighed in on the report that Cleveland's Major League Baseball club will soon drop its controversial team name "Indians" calling it the latest example of “cancel culture.”
On Sunday, The New York Times reported the team is planning to drop the nickname it has used for more than a century and will become the latest franchise to abandon Native American imagery.
Manager Terry Francona said in July that he believed the time had come for the team to change its name after more than 100 years.
“I think it’s time to move forward,” Francona said. “It’s a very difficult subject. It’s also delicate.”
The New York Times said the team could announce plans for a new nickname as soon as this week.
Oh no! What is going on? This is not good news, even for “Indians”. Cancel culture at work! https://t.co/d1l0C9g6Pd
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
The Indians' move to change its team name comes two years team stopped the use of Chief Wahoo — a red-skinned caricature of a Native American that many found to be more racist than the team name itself. The team removed the logo from its uniforms and from advertisements and no longer sells merchandise with the logo at the stadium.
An informal Twitter poll taken by Scripps station WEWS in July showed that 70.9% of respondents didn't want the team to change its name. It reflects the sentiment the station generally sees on its social media pages, where many fans are vocal in their support of the Indians team name and the Chief Wahoo logo.
Question: Do you think the #Indians should change their name?
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) July 3, 2020
This story was originally published by Kaylyn Hlvatay on WEWS in Cleveland.
