The Cleveland Indians are officially becoming the Cleveland Guardians following the 2021 season.
As expected, the reaction to the news Friday morning was polarizing.
To say the least.
The reaction also proved some people clearly had no idea where the inspiration for the new name came from.
Let’s dive into a few takeaways from this monumental announcement.
3. Not Changing Much With The Look
The organization essentially opted to keep the same color scheme with only a few minor changes to the look.
A fresh look from the 216. pic.twitter.com/0W8VTtZ7b0
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2021
Even the name itself looks identical, with the only change being the letters “Guar” being added to the beginning.
This has understandably led to questions about the thought behind this change.
Is this a true rebrand?
Or just the organization being a bit lazy and doing as little as possible?
Ultimately, changing the name is a big deal and keeping the same color pattern could help legally when it comes to trademarks and all that.
2. Some “Fans” Have Never Been To Downtown Cleveland
It makes sense for people outside of Cleveland to rip the new name.
But those from the area who have been to at least one game should be aware of the giant Guardian bridge sculptures literally a block away from the stadium.
I thought Guardians might be too esoteric and that people outside the city wouldn't get it. Seeing plenty of that now.
But the bridge that the name comes from is beautiful and right outside the ballpark. One of the best pieces of Cleveland architecture/history pic.twitter.com/8ijhd4onmr
— Teddy Cahill (@tedcahill) July 23, 2021
The bridge leads right up to the stadium and is quite literally a bridge to downtown Cleveland and to Progressive Field.
So saying the name makes no sense is what actually makes no sense.
Sometimes it is clear that individuals on social media just want to have a reaction to something even if they have zero clue about what they are talking about.
That being the nature of social media is not a surprise to anyone on the various platforms.
It is fine to not like the name, but blatantly ignoring the inspiration is just silly.
1. Time Will Solve All
It was obvious that the reaction would be polarizing the moment the Indians organization announced its new name.
But this is a situation that will resolve itself with time.
Young fans will know this team as the Guardians and in time, people calling them the Indians will end up being like those who still call the stadium “The Jake.”
The one thing that can truly solve all the angst is the team ending its World Series drought that has persisted since 1948.
Doing so as the Guardians would cement the team’s legacy in the city and help do away with the old name.
This name change is not erasing the history of the franchise.
It is just a bit of a rebrand for a team that had an outdated name in the first place.
Those who are swearing off the team now probably weren’t true baseball fans in the first place.
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