MLB: Cleveland Indians begin to remove their name from the scoreboard

CLEVELAND – Executives of the Cleveland Indians began removing the nickname from the team that sat above the giant scoreboard at Progressive Field on Tuesday, a move that is part of the transition to the future name of the Major Baseball team, the Guardians.

Workers began to dismantle the letters, starting with the « I », which made up the panel, which was approximately 25 meters (80 feet) long.

It should take several days for the letters to be collected. The sign will be stored while the team assesses options for a permanent location.

A new sign with the name “Guardians” will replace the old one and will be erected before the 2022 opener.

Earlier in 2021, the management of the American League team announced their decision to replace the name « Indians », adopted in 1915, following a nationwide awareness of names and symbols. with a racist connotation.

The team has already removed other panels located inside and outside the stadium. The name change is expected to become official in a few weeks, when promotional items identified with the Guardians go on sale.

The organization’s renaming process hit a snag last week.

A roller derby team, known as the Cleveland Guardians since 2013, has sued the baseball club in federal court, claiming the change infringes its trademark.

In an official statement, Indian leaders said they did not believe there was a conflict between the parties. They added that they remained confident they could move forward with the new name.