In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed, there has been a deep social awakening and conversations about race and inequality happening around the world. Now the protests are no longer just in the streets, but many consumers have started to protest with their wallets. Many brands are now facing pressure from consumers and their investors and sponsors to take responsibility for their racist pasts and commit to changing their long criticized names and logos. Among the brands committed to change, some include Quaker Oats' Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, and the newly rebranded Washington Football Team (formly the Washington Redskins). Unfortunately, that is not the case for all brands. The Cleveland Indians, long criticized for their racist name and logo, have taken small steps to change but have yet to make a commitment to changing their name.
Background
Cleveland’s team has been known as the “Indians” since 1915. The caricature displaying racism towards Native Americans, named Chief Wahoo, was first introduced in the 1940’s. After many redesigns, the finalized logo that is still used today was introduced in 1951. After years of protests and calls for change, Cleveland announced in 2018 that starting in the 2019 season they would no longer be using the controversial logo on their uniforms but the logo can still be found on their merchandise. This change was met with criticism from both fans and critics of Cleveland. Many die-hard fans felt that not using Chief Wahoo was the organization turning its back on the tradition and history of the team, while many critics said their initiative was not good enough since the logo is still on their merchandise and they are profiting off from merch sales. Many Cleveland fans are resistant to changing the name and getting rid of Chief Wahoo because they want to preserve the tradition and history of the team, and many believe that it is just a name and logo and they are harmless. In reality, studies have shown a link between depression, negative self-perception, a feeling of being lesser in the community amongst Indigenous youth, and the increased use of racist Indigenous names and mascots in sports.
The Rebrand
It is certainly not good enough for Cleveland to only change their name and get rid of Chief Wahoo and move on and forget about their past. The team has taken no responsibility for the harm they have caused the last 105 years. They have continued to profit off of an oppressive racist name and caricature. In order to successfully rebrand and distance themselves from their racist past, Cleveland needs to accept the harm they have caused and commit to trying to remedy it. Examples of remedies Cleveland can implement include: donating money to organizations that help Indigenous groups, setting up a scholarship fund for Indigenous children as well as promoting and sponsoring events that display Indigenous culture(s). An example for Cleveland to follow is the Minor Baseball League from Washington State called the Spokane Indians. Unlike Cleveland, Spokane in 2006 volunteered to change their name after meeting with the tribal leaders of local Spokane but instead, decided against the change and kept the name with the support of the tribe. Since then, the team has developed a close relationship with the local Spokane tribe and through yearly meetings with the tribe’s council they have been able to create cultural outreach programs. Their current jersey has the Salish (the local Spokane language) spelling for Spokane on it, and Salish is used throughout the stadium. The team has also joined the effort to try and restore the salmon population in the local rivers and the stadium has an exhibit about the culture and history of the Spokane nation. By changing their name and logo and incorporating some of the initiatives the Spokane team have implemented, Cleveland would be successful in rebranding and distancing itself from its racist past.
Possible Names
One of the biggest reasons Cleveland fans and the organization use for not changing its name and completely ridding of Chief Wahoo is the history and nostalgia surrounding both. Since nostalgia and pursuing the history of the team is important, there are many viable names that exist throughout the baseball teams in Cleveland. For example, before Cleveland became the Indians they were named the Cleveland Naps after Nap Lajoie: an all star player who played in Cleveland in the early 19th century. If they want to continue honouring the history of the organization, they can name the team the Cleveland Dobys after Larry Doby who was the first black player in the American League. Another possible name would be the Cleveland Buckeyes which is a nod to the Negro league team that existed from 1942 to 1950. These names would be honouring the true history of baseball in Cleveland and would be more appropriate than the controversial Cleveland Indians.
An Example for Cleveland to Follow
As of July 2020 the Washington Redskins have temporarily rebranded to the Washington Football Team. After the announcement of their rebrand, Washington garnered a lot of attention with many making fun of how ridiculous the name sounded. Despite how ridiculous the name sounds, this move was very smart as they were able to take away the negative attention from their racist past and got people talking about and focusing on their “silly” new name. Right away, they started selling Washington Football Team merch which is limited to this year's merch that might get people who aren’t interested in football to buy it just for novelty reasons. One of the major things a sports team needs to consider to successfully rebrand is that a logo is not for the sake of the logo -- but it has to tell a story. Washington was able to implement this rule successfully; and they have created a narrative that has drawn attention away from their racist past and replaced it with something that is humorous and more likely to be remembered going forward. For Cleveland to successfully rebrand they have to create a story through their new brand that will appeal to their die-hard fans who care about the history and nostalgia of the logo and name
References
Covert, A. (2017, January 27). How To Avoid A Rebranding Disaster: Lessons From The Sports World. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/3067585/how-to-avoid-a-rebranding-disaster-lessons-from-the-sports-world
Francona, N. (2020, July 17). The Cleveland Indians Need to Do More Than Change the Team’s Name. GQ. https://www.gq.com/story/nick-francona-cleveland-indians-name-change
Perry, D. (2020, July 25). If the Cleveland Indians change their team name, here are some of the best options. CBS Sport. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/if-the-cleveland-indians-change-their-team-name-here-are-some-of-the-best-options/
Waldstein, D. (2018, January 29). Cleveland Indians Will Abandon Chief Wahoo Logo Next Year. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/sports/baseball/cleveland-indians-chief-wahoo-logo.html
Waldstein, D. (2020, August 3). Why One Team Named the Indians Won’t Be Changing Its Name. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/sports/baseball/indians-team-names-mascots.html
Ward, M., & Wiley, M. (2020, July 13). A roundup of America’s most racist brand mascots and logos—Business Insider. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/15-racist-brand-mascots-and-logos-2014-6#uncle-ben-1946-present-2
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