MLB Exec Responds To Trump Demand To Un-Woke Team Name

The president of the Cleveland Guardians rebuffed President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the team re-adopt its prior name, the Cleveland Indians.

Trump’s suggestion came amid his statements calling for the NFL’s Washington Commanders to re-adopt the name Washington Redskins. On Sunday, he wrote on Truth Social:

The Washington “Whatever’s” should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this. Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past. Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!

Five hours later, he added:

My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way. I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original “Washington Redskins,” and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, “Washington Commanders,” I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington. The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone. Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians. The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change. What he doesn’t understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!

Guardians president Chris Antonetti responded, “I understand there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but it’s a decision we made and we’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and we’re excited about the future that’s in front of us,” as The Athletic reported.

At a campaign rally in March 2024 in Dayton, Ohio, Trump slammed the Dolan family, declaring, “I like sports and I like tradition. So you have a team called the Cleveland Indians. Indians. They’re Indians. And they took the team Cleveland Indians and made it to the Cleveland Guardians. Almost like they’re in charge of a trust fund.”

In December 2020, months after demonstrations related to the death of George Floyd called for racial justice, the Cleveland franchise announced it would drop the “Indians” name due to growing pressure around racial sensitivity. Some groups had criticized the team’s Chief Wahoo logo as an offensive caricature that was culturally disrespectful. The franchise announced the new name, “Guardians,” in July 2021, and it was officially used as the 2022 season began. When the current Cleveland major league baseball franchise was established in 1901 as one of the six original teams of the American League, it was called the “Blues.” That name was changed to the “Naps” in 1904 when the fans voted to honor their star player, Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie.

After Lajoie left the team in 1915, the team’s name was changed to the “Indians.” However, some have asserted that the name was intended to honor former player Louis Sockalexis, a Native American. Major League Baseball has a different explanation, writing on MLB.com:

There are old newspaper records that show that the baseball writers were left to vote on a name and had decided on Indians. In 1914, the Boston Braves had won the World Series, which could leave some to wonder if the name for Cleveland — the last-place team that season — was inspired by one that experienced great success. 

The Indians won two World Series titles; the first in 1920, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers in a series that featured three historic highlights in the last game, all from the Indians: right fielder Elmer Smith blasting the first-ever World Series grand slam; starting pitcher Jim Bagby slamming a three-run homer, the first home run by a pitcher in World Series history, and the most dazzling: an unassisted triple play by Indians second baseman Bill Wambsganss, the only one in World Series history. There have been only 15 unassisted plays in MLB history, rarer than a perfect game thrown by a pitcher.

In 1948, the Indians defeated the Boston Braves in the World Series, led by player-manager shortstop Lou Boudreau, who also won the Most Valuable Player award that year.