By Katie Mills

With the renaming of the Cleveland Indians, many have been wondering about the new era of baseball in Cleveland. The Cleveland Indians changed their name to the Cleveland Guardians and have completely rebranded themselves. As many may know, the reason for this change was the ongoing debates and controversy over the Chief Wahoo logo and name. The baseball team decided to ask many fans about their opinions on the baseball team, and they sent out several surveys that were answered by 40,000 fans. As a whole, the franchise decided to change the name for the upcoming 2022 season to create a more inclusive environment for their fans. 

Several fans agreed on the name change, but many people were not excited about the choice of the name “Guardians.” The reasoning behind this name brings in the history of Cleveland around Progressive Field and incorporates the Guardians of Traffic statues. These statues have wings on them and are also some of the only Art Deco statues in Cleveland. 

The new Guardians logo has changed with the new name and is inspired by the helmets on these statues. The new idea is to include some of Cleveland’s history through the new team name, logo, etc. While a lot has changed, something that has not is the Cleveland mascot, Slider, who will still be the mascot next season. 
The MLB team shop for the Guardians has also opened and the new merchandise includes jerseys, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and much more. All of the new gear is also inspired by some of Cleveland’s history. If you want to shop for some guardians gear to get ready for next season, here is the link: https://www.mlbshop.com/cleveland-guardians/t-14110825+z-9676808-2952955263