CLEVELAND — The Guardians name change is a step in the right direction for Native American activists who’ve advocated for Cleveland’s baseball team to change its name for decades.
For years, it was painful for Native American activists like Jeffrey Pierce to see packed crowds cheering on a name he found offensive.
“It wasn’t hard; it was disappointing. It was incredibly disappointing to know there’s so many fans that have such a deep-seated appreciation is what they call it for racist imagery,” said Pierce.
Pierce has been a part of many protests outside of Progressive Field. He said over the years, the response to those protests did get better.
“When I started a long time ago, it was almost all negative. Every once in a while, someone would say things like, ‘get a job’ and I’d have to say, ‘well, you’re here, too!’ I’m not the only one. Over the years, it’s become increasingly more positive, and it’s less divisive, I think,” he explained.
Activists like Pierce see the end of the new era of Cleveland baseball as a major victory, but also said this a fight that needs to continue.
“Well, it’s most of the battle already done, still more to go. There’s still hard work to go into it. It’s nice to know that all our hard work paid off, even though I don’t think the team is willing to admit that our hard work is the reason they changed,” said Pierce.
Pierce said there is more to be done as there are hundreds of team names in Ohio with some type of Native American branding.
