Cleveland baseball has a new name, and the merch is gonna be sweet

A professional sports team that previously had a moniker representative of Native American culture that vowed to change its name has done so. It’s not the Washington Football Team — it’s the former Cleveland Indians (Ed. note: And that’s the last time you will ever see that name on this website — RO).

The Cleveland baseball team announced through a video, narrated by everyone’s favorite actor Tom Hanks, that their team will be known as the Cleveland Guardians. I, for one, give it roughly a month until they announce a “Guardians of the Galaxy Night at Progressive Field!”

“...and now it’s time — to unite as one family, one community, to build the next era for this team, this city, to keep watch and guard what makes this game the greatest. To come together and welcome all who want to join us. We are loyal, and proud, and resilient. We protect what we’ve earned, and always defend it. Together we stand with all who understand what it means to be born and built from ‘The Land.’ Because this is the city we love, and the game we believe in. And together, we are all Cleveland Guardians.”

“The Guardians” also has local significance.

I’ll be honest, I kinda like it.

I like the name. I like the logos that I’m seeing, which have a very ‘90s-era Anaheim Angels feel to them, which were always some of the best jerseys in the league. Put those wings on a hat, instantly.

For the record, Cleveland fans, this doesn’t reset your clock on not having won a World Series since 1948. That’s still a thing.

Doing away with gross stereotypes that Chief Wahoo perpetuated is the right decision. Doing so in a way that still holds on to the team’s colors and font, while giving a strong nod to the city that they’re rooted in is a job well done. Hold on though, let me try something out and see how it feels.

“The Cleveland Guardians blew a 3-1 lead.”

Yeah, that still works.