CLEVELAND — On Friday morning, the local professional baseball team officially transitioned away from being the Cleveland Indians and became the Cleveland Guardians.
The ballclub finally changed its social media identity just after 8 a.m., bringing to an end the 106-year chapter of the Indians moniker. The new handle for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is now @CleGuardians, with the bios reading, "New C. Same City."
Besides the new name, the team also gained a new logo and font, complete with the "Diamond C." The updated letter replaces the "Block C" that served as the Indians' primary logo from 2014-21 and was sometimes ridiculed by fans as being too bland.
The first official Guardians merchandise will go on sale at the Progressive Field team shop today at 9 a.m., and on Thursday the world received a sneak peek via Twitter. The post shows a first glance of what we can expect certain on-field apparel to look like.
Interestingly enough, there is not a game jersey shown in the tweet, although 3News' Austin Love says those items will be available closer to the start of the 2022 season. Gear is set to hit shelves at other local retailers on Tuesday.
Additionally, the Guardians Team Store will have free donuts, coffee, raffle prizes and a gift to the first 50 shoppers on Friday. The team store will remain closed through Nov. 18 in preparation for Friday's launch.
The Indians' official transition to the Guardians' name comes more than a year after the franchise first announced that it was exploring a potential name change. After announcing last December that it would, in fact, be changing its name, the team announced in July 2021 that it would be adopting the Guardians' name following the conclusion of the 2021 season.
The Indians' transition to Guardians hit a roadblock when the franchise was sued by the city's professional roller derby team, which is also known as the Cleveland Guardians. Earlier this week, both the baseball franchise and roller derby team announced that they have reached a settlement that will allow both entities to use the name moving forward.