CLEVELAND — On Friday night, the Cleveland Indians made headlines when they announced they were undergoing discussions that could ultimately result in the franchise changing its name.
"Our organization fully recognizes our team name is among the most visible ways in which we connect with the community," a statement from the team read. "The recent unrest in our community and our country has only underscored the need for us to keep improving as an organization on issues of social justice. With that in mind, we are committed to engaging our community and appropriate stakeholders to determine the best path forward with regard to our team name."
In order to explore how the Indians got here, what it means for the franchise moving forward and what new name the team might adopt, Jim Donovan and Nick Camino joined Ben Axelrod for a 3News Digital Exclusive, which you can watch in the video player above or the YouTube Player below.
Among the topics discussed were the following:
- The reactions to the Indians announcing they'd explore changing their name.
- The climate that led to making such name change inevitable.
- How the Indians' name will be reflected in the team's history.
- How manager Terry Francona's support of a name change likely sped up the process.
- What name the franchise might adopt.
- The Indians' impending 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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