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The Cleveland Indians officially announced they’re in the process of dropping their mascot name. The Indians have been named this for the last century since they decided to honor their former Native American player Louis Sockalexis. However, times have changed. What was once a tribute is now seen as racially degrading to the people themselves.

Indian mascots have been recently becoming unpopular with many fans in the last decade. Many teams have been asked to change their name but haven’t budged until this year. Cleveland is the 2nd domino to fall this year as The Washington Football team dropped their mascot first due to much backlash over the years from fans and sponsors. Nevertheless, they will not be the only ones who will make this transition in the future. Many professional, collegiate, and high school teams use Indian mascots as well. Organizations such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida State Seminoles, and Utah Utes could be examples of name changes that could be coming soon.

“I’m really proud of our organization for trying to do the right thing. I think what’s important for people to understand is what we’re really proud of is the first name of our team, which is Cleveland,” said Terry Francona.

While the name change is being decided, Cleveland will still use the name and jerseys for one last season in 2021 to figure out what will their new mascot become. Will they choose any former mascots such as the Naps, Blues, or Spiders? Will they go a different route and let their fans choose? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.