CLEVELAND — The Cleveland MLB team officially has its new name.
The team announced Friday morning that it will be changing its name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians through a video posted to its Twitter account. The name will go into effect next season, but the club has not released an official date of when it will first be implemented.
Cleveland first announced last summer that it would begin having conversations with local community members and Native American groups about the possibility of a name change. The organization announced in December that it was beginning a search for a new nickname.
More than 4,000 fans signed up to be part of the conversation, and over 40,000 fans were surveyed, including 140 hours of interviews with fans, staff and community members. The organization determined that the name should connect to the city of Cleveland, preserve the team’s rich baseball history and unite the community.
There are ties to the city through the “Guardians of Traffic” on the Hope Memorial Bridge. These sculptures on either side of the bridge are meant to symbolize progress.
