"Oh no! What is happening here?": Trump is appalled by the MLB club's decision

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

"Oh no! What's going on here?"
Trump is appalled by the MLB club's decision

The Cleveland baseball club has borne his name for more than 100 years. But now he is supposed to disappear – after years of protests. Because he is denounced as racist. The incumbent US President Trump cannot understand that at all.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Cleveland Indians are about to split their name after years of Native American protests. The club confirmed corresponding media reports. "Our job is to unite the community", team owner Paul Dolan was quoted on the league homepage. "There are a reliable number of people who are resentful at our name who are hurt by our name, and there is no reason for our franchise to have a name that is divisive," said Dolan.

The renaming should take place at the earliest for the 2022 season – because a new name has not yet been found. "Because this is so important, we will not rush these decisions," said Dolan. The team has been using the controversial nickname since 1915. In an open letter to fans, Dolan wrote that the decision had been made after a process lasting several years.

Due to the increasing criticism, Cleveland had already done away with its mascot "Chief Wahoo", an Indian cartoon, last year. Before the two-time World Series winners, the Washington Football Team had given in to public pressure and dropped its name Redskins (Redskins). When the footballers from the capital announced the decision to part with the nickname Redskins in July, the Indians for their part announced an in-depth study of their own name. Dolan wrote that he associates a lot of past successes with the name "Indians", but "I really believe that Cleveland is the most important part of our team name".

US President Donald Trump, himself repeatedly conspicuous with discriminatory attacks, tweeted: "Oh no! What is happening here? This is not good news, even for 'Indians'." Criticism of the names – including those of the Kansas City Chiefs from the NFL or the Chicago Blackhawks from the NHL – has been around for years. After the death of the African American George Floyd in May and the subsequent protests against racism in the USA, the pressure on these teams also increased. The Chiefs and Blackhakws are not aware of any plans to change their team names.