(12-14-20) Today the Cleveland Indians released a statement that in the future that they will be dropping Indians as their mascot.

Cleveland is the 2nd professional team within the past year to make the change of a Native American themed mascot. The NFL’s Washington Redskins dropped the mascot just before the start of the 2020 season…no new name has been selected as the franchise currently goes by the ‘Washington Football Team‘.

Louis Sockalexis

Many Cleveland fans were disappointed in the announcement today. Some fans pointed out that the moniker was in honor of a former Cleveland player.

According to several sources the name was originally intended to honor a former player, Louis Sockalexis, who played for the Cleveland Spiders, a major league club, in the 19th century and was a member of the Penobscot Nation.

Stateline area schools with mascots – Redskins, Indians, Chieftains and Braves – in Ft. Recovery, St. Henry, Wapakoneta, Ft. Loramie, Shawnee, Bellefontaine, Union City and Bellmont to name a few. None of them at this time have felt the need to make the change, some have been decided by school boards…others have ignored the issue completely.

One Ohio school, Anderson, in the Cincinnati area made the name change around the time of the Washington announcement. Several years ago Ft. Wayne North Side changed from Redskins to Legends. In 2019 Teton High School in Driggs, Idaho changed their mascot from Redskins to Timberwolves. Skowhegan HS, Maine,“Indians.” will now be known as the RiverHawks.

With Cleveland making the announcement look for additional pressure from some groups to be placed on high schools around the country. State athletic associations have pretty much shied away from the issue.

Related stories –

Indians Statement