Change is weird. It's uncomfortable. It's not a concept that everybody will enjoy, and it's a concept that some will flat out not accept… but in this day and age the process of change is becoming more of a norm throughout every possible branch of our culture. The world of sports has become no exception.
With the news in recent weeks that Washington’s NFL team will be dropping the infamous “Redskins” nickname and logo, it seems to have caused teams with questionable nicknames across the sports spectrum to look at themselves in the mirror for an evaluation of where their brand and identity aligns with the social norms of the present day.
The MLB’s Cleveland Indians were the second major organization to publicly announce a review of their nickname after posting the below message to social media platforms on July 3:
The team has made it evidently clear that the “Indians” nickname will be retired. While this undoubtedly has sparked extensive outrage and disapproval amongst some longtime Indians fans and baseball traditionalists alike, it raises a subject for all of us to ponder: the new name.
Rebranding a professional baseball club whose nickname has stayed put since 1915 is no easy task. The representation and identity of an entire city is now on the line. The history and culture of the city of Cleveland would, ideally, want to be represented in the new team name in some sort of fashion. This unfamiliar situation has created a scenario where not listening to fan input in regards the rebrand will more than likely be a sure-fire way for this entire project to be a grandiose failure.
That being said, this was the exact basis of thought when piecing together this article. By gauging fan reaction and feedback via social media platforms such as Twitter, Reddit and Facebook, four nicknames for Cleveland’s MLB team were pulled out from the rough.
DISCLAIMER: These nicknames are not confirmed by the Indians organization as being potential candidates. This is purely a bit of fun speculation based off of analyzing social media feedback.
CLEVELAND SPIDERS
This is the fun one. The idea to rename the Cleveland MLB franchise to the “Spiders” gained a full head of steam from baseball fans across the sport almost the minute the announcement of a name change was publicized. “Spiders'' appears to be the fan-favorite and most requested name for the franchise on social media, as heading to Twitter and simply searching the name will reveal fans from all corners of the sport showing their support for the name. One will also discover that multiple graphic designers have already hopped on the train with their own possible mockups for a Cleveland Spiders rebrand, as you will find in the images below.
Why would “Spiders” be such a popular nickname? Albeit brief, there is some history connected to the name. The Cleveland Spiders was the name of the first professional baseball team in the Ohio city, existing from 1887 to 1899. The 1800s Cleveland Spiders and present-day Indians are in fact not the same franchise, as the Spiders folded after the 1899 season.
Arguably one of the more intriguing connections to the current Cleveland ballclub is that the Spiders had the first Native American to play professional baseball. Outfielder Louis Sockalexis, who played for the Spiders in their final three seasons, was often cited as the inspiration for the “Indians” moniker. By going forward with the Spiders tag, the organization would in a way be able to continue honoring Sockalexis without the negative connotations surrounding the “Indians” nickname.
One of the few cons that has been raised across social media avenues is that “Spiders” gives off vibes of an MiLB ballclub more-so than an MLB franchise. While a valid criticism, if the goal of organization officials is to move away from a traditionalist name brand and embrace something novel and eccentric, “Spiders” could be the right choice.
Ignore the fact that the Cleveland Spiders were one of the worst performing teams in professional baseball history, and you have a case for a unique and distinguishable identity that strays far away from the infamous name of old while continuing to pay tribute to the history of baseball within the city of Cleveland.
CLEVELAND BLUES
What if the Cleveland organization wants to maintain a more traditional trajectory with the club’s new name while still wanting to honor the history of Cleveland baseball? The “Blues” might just be their answer.
Diving into a brief history of the name will unveil that the Cleveland Blues actually pre-dated the Cleveland Spiders as a professional ballclub playing in the city, operating in the National League from 1879 to 1884. Like the “Spiders” handle, “Blues” still allows for the club to pay tribute to a part of the city’s sports history… something that should always be seen as a positive amongst any sports circle.
The name “Cleveland Blues” also creates an opportunity for the organization to recognize a piece of Cleveland’s relationship with the music industry. Anybody with even a sliver of knowledge of the music industry will know that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is situated on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, a driver and a wedge away from Progressive Field as well.
Similar to the “Spiders,” going with the “Cleveland Blues” would create a scenario where the club would be able to engage in very little change on the cosmetic side. The logo, colors and basic uniform design of the current team could very easily be kept. The only obvious modification would be to adjust the wording on the front of two of the club’s jerseys to either “Cleveland” or “Blues,” depending on which way they decide to venture.
The minimal change that would be able to occur with the name “Blues” could pose as an attractive factor to club officials should they desire to maintain as much of the organization’s current identity as possible.
The only plausible issue with the “Blues” is that a professional sports already bears the moniker: the NHL’s defending champion St. Louis Blues. I normally would consider a professional team naming themselves after an existing nickname to be a sports cardinal sin (looking at you Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers), I’d make an exception for the Cleveland Blues because I truly believe it works well on multiple fronts from the imagery down to the historical connotations.
For whatever it’s worth, this is my personal favorite choice for the team’s new name.
…and doesn’t “Cleveland Blues” just flow off the tongue?
CLEVELAND COMMODORES
“Commodores” is another nickname that fans have been kicking around since July 3, and is probably my 2nd favorite suggestion so far.
The name would be in honor of Com. Oliver Hazard Perry, who was the hero at the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. The name “Commodores” would yet again allow the organization to pay respect to an important figure in early American history, as well as representing an event with historical ties to the city. (Sensing a theme here?). Allowing Clevelanders to maintain a sense of pride in their city through the name of their favorite team is a plan that surely would have quite a bit of upside to it.
“Commodores” would still allow the team to go for an all-out rebrand if they see fit. As shown in the mockup below, the team might decide to opt for a more aquatic color scheme to fit the nickname. This would also draw a connection with the organization’s Triple-A affiliate Columbus Clippers, as both clubs would now share in a nautical theme.
Bonus points for alliteration!
Also, imagine fans using rally flags with Com. Perry’s famous battle cry “Don’t Give Up the Ship!” Awesome, if you ask me.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
One of the more interesting suggestions made by baseball fans has been for the club to adopt “Guardians” as their nickname. It’s a name that does technically have a tie to the city, but it’s a less-exciting tie and one that really only Clevelanders would be familiar with.
Stretching across the Cuyahoga River adjacent to Progressive Field is Hope Memorial Bridge. Atop the bridge are the bridge’s most notable icons: massive stone statues dubbed “The Guards of Traffic,” meant to symbolize the protection of motorists. “Guardians” is a nickname, like the “Spiders,” that has garnered attention and considerable traction once the renaming was confirmed.
While not being as historically significant of a name as “Blues” or “Spiders,” it allows for the team to pay homage to an iconic landmark within the city of Cleveland. This is where “Guardians” gets the brownie points. Like the concept shown below, the team could opt to bring back a Chief Wahoo-esqe logo… just without the Chief Wahoo.
Con of the nickname: Not terribly exciting, and all I think of when I hear it is Guardians of the Galaxy.
I appreciate that this has been, and will continue to be, a hot and controversial topic for Clevelanders. But with the announcement of a full-blown name change of the team, who has previously addressed and removed the aforementioned “Chief Wahoo” logo, it shows the much-needed social progress that franchises across all of sports are beginning to shift to.
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