Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team has been known as the Indians since 1915. Starting Friday, the team will go by the Cleveland Guardians.
The team made the announcement in a social media video recounting the franchise and city's history, narrated by legendary actor Tom Hanks.
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The Indians name and logo, notably Chief Wahoo, have come under widespread scrutiny for years for being racially offensive. The team announced last summer that it would explore changing the name and having conversations with Native American groups and local community members.
The new name, Guardians, is a nod to a statue located at the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge that crosses the Cuyahoga River, called the "Guardians of Traffic."
Some fans had hoped Cleveland would adopt the Spiders mascot a National League team used in the late 1800s.
As for when the name change takes place, MLB.com said it would "go into effect after the 2021 season."
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