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Rick Zamperin: Cleveland Indians fans should embrace name change

Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana looks up after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Cleveland. AP Photo/Tony Dejak

Fans of the Cleveland Indians should not be angry, or sad, after learning that their hometown baseball team is going to change its controversial name.

Just like the NFL’s Washington Football Team and the CFL’s Edmonton franchise, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball outfit has announced that it will drop the name Indians.

Team owner Paul Dolan told The Associated Press on Monday, “The name is no longer acceptable in our world,” after meeting with various groups — including Native Americans.

But unlike the two football clubs, whose name was instantly wiped away, Cleveland will play the 2021 MLB season as the Indians.

“We will continue to be the Indians until we have identified the next name that will hopefully take us through multiple centuries,” said Dolan.

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The Cleveland Indians have been around since 1915 and they are a year removed from dropping the controversial Chief Wahoo logo from his cap and jerseys.

What baseball fans in Cleveland must realize is their team, whatever they are going to be called, will still be their team and if any city understands the importance of that it is Cleveland.

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They lost the Browns to Baltimore, they lost hometown basketball hero LeBron James, twice, and they have lost their last four trips to the World Series.

After all that, Cleveland can clearly handle losing the name Indians.

Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.

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