CLEVELAND — They’ve been fans since birth.
“I’ve been an Indians fan my entire life, so 41 years,” said Matthew Eck.
“Oh gosh, since I was born, I grew up with the 1995 Tribe,” Jordan Job added.
But starting next year, they will be fans of the Cleveland Guardians. The organization, after years of conflict with activists, is moving away from the controversial Native American imagery.
As they prepared for the team’s first home game since the new name was announced, fans weighed in on the decision.
Some like it.
“I like it. I think it’s better. It’s a good change all around. It’s definitely needed,” said Lily Frey.
Others, like Job, aren’t so sure: “I think they should have kept it me personally because, obviously, there’s a lot of history. There’s a love, tradition but it’s a new day and age.”
No matter what their opinion, the next generation of fans will be cheering on the Cleveland Guardians starting in 2022.
“It’s time to move into the future and Guardians is a great name,” Eck said. “It’s to move us ahead and be respectful of Native Americans and the Indigenous people of this country as we move into an era of just being more respectful to each other.”
This isn’t the first time Cleveland’s baseball team has seen a rebranding.
They’ve been called Blues, Broncos, then Cleveland Naps before settling on Indians.
Now they’ll be the Guardians.
