The team that goes by the name the Cleveland Indians used to have a grotesque caricature called Chief Wahoo as the team logo. Each year on opening day there would be demonstrations against the logo and the name, leading to confrontations with fans who were determined to hold on to the racist images. The team has been slowly bowing to pressure to change, after long resisting it in the name of ‘tradition’. It no longer has the logo on team uniforms and has promised to phase out the name as well. It has now announced new policies for fans

Cleveland Indians fans will not be able to paint their faces in Native American fashion or wear headdresses to games at Progressive Field this season, according to a new team policy.

The no-tolerance policy also involves abusive or inappropriate language or conduct deemed disorderly or disruptive, and that includes “inappropriate dress.” The team says fans could be ejected or refused admission.

Restricted attire includes headdresses and face paint that references American Indian cultures and traditions. Inappropriate or offensive images, words, dress or face paint must be covered or removed. The prohibition extends to solicitation of contributions and distribution of literature at Progressive Field.

However the team is not willing to hurt its revenue source of selling merchandise because “The policy does not extend to the Chief Wahoo logo on attire, said Curtis Danburg, vice president of communications and community impact.”

It is being reported that this week will see the owners finally announce that they have decided to change the name that many people found offensive.

The 2021 season will be the last that a baseball team plays as the “Indians” in Cleveland.

A team source confirmed to cleveland.com that the club will announce this week its intention to play under the same name and uniforms through 2021, but will drop the “Indians” name after the upcoming season. A new name has not yet been decided.

The New York Times was first to report on Sunday that the name change is imminent. The Times also indicated the club is considering moving forward without a replacement name. That move would mirror the situation in Washington, where the city’s NFL franchise dropped its longtime “Redskins” moniker prior to the 2020 season and is playing as the “Washington Football Team” until a new name is chosen.

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After the announcement yesterday that the Washington DC football team (under strong pressure from public opinion and their sponsors and advertisers) is ‘considering’ changing the name of their team, the Cleveland Indians baseball team also reports that it is ‘considering’ a name change, something that has been demanded from them for the longest time but they have refused, insisting in the face of evidence to the contrary that the name and the racist mascot of Chief Wahoo were meant to honor Native Americans. While Wahoo was removed from team uniforms a few years ago, it remained on the merchandise that is sold to baseball fans.

While both teams have only said they are ‘considering’ name changes, that is likely just face-saving language because to later announce they are retaining the names would cause another round of negative publicity. I think the changes are a done deal with the only question being what the new names will be.

I notice that the football team majority Dan Snyder, who liked to play the tough guy and delight in thumbing his nose at those who wanted the change and enjoy the attention it brought him, is still in hiding and has not spoken publicly to the media about this reversal, leaving it to team spokespersons to issues statements about his capitulation. That is always the case with people like that.

Dahlia Lithwick amasses a wealth of evidence to argue that we have seen a significant positive shift in the attitudes of white Americans on the issue of race during the Trump presidency. While that is good for the country, it does not bode well for him or the Republican party.

To be clear, Republicans have got a majority of the white vote in elections for the past 56 years and will likely get it again this year. But the large margins that they obtained previously are dwindling, and it is their determined efforts at gerrymandering and driving down the minority vote that has enabled them to stay in power despite alienating every other group. As that margin of white majority becomes smaller, it may not be enough to compensate for their losses elsewhere. So we can expect even more desperate efforts at increasing the white vote with racist and xenophobic fearmongering, coupled with even more intensive efforts at minority voter suppression. But that too can backfire. As we have seen in recent state elections, the efforts at voter suppression have angered minority voters who have become even more determined to vote despite the obstacles placed in their way.
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