Cleveland Indians no more, MLB franchise will go by Guardians

The Cleveland Indians will officially become the Cleveland Guardians on Friday as the MLB franchise usher in a new era.

Cleveland colors will remain the same

Known as the Indians since 1915, the organisation announced in December 2020 that they were to begin the search for a new nickname, having held discussions with a number of different groups, including the Cleveland Indigenous Coalition and the National Congress of American Indians.

Guardians was announced as the choice through a video in July, though the red, white and navy colour scheme will remain, and the team will begin the transition following Wednesday's announcement.

From Friday, Cleveland's name will switch to the Guardians on all their social media platforms, while new merchandise will be released at Progressive Field.

At the time of the announcement of the name change, team owner and chairman Paul Dolan said: "Hearing first-hand the stories and experiences of Native American people, we gained a deep understanding of how tribal communities feel about the team name and the detrimental effects it has on them.

"We also spoke to local civic leaders who represent diverse populations in our city and who highlighted the negative impact our team name has had on our broader population and on under-represented groups across our community.

Indians missed playoffs in their final year

"I am truly grateful for their engagement and input, which I found enlightening and insightful. When a sports team is aligned with its community, it unlocks the ability to unite people from different backgrounds and bring people together in support of their home team.

"While Indians will always be a part of our history, it is time to move forward and work to unify our stakeholders and fans through a new name."

World Series champions in 1920 and 1948, the Indians failed to reach the playoffs in 2021.