Agreement reached on 'Guardians' name

CLEVELAND -- If there was any concern that Cleveland would not be able to take the next steps with its historic name change, all of that worry can now be put to rest.

The team announced Tuesday morning that the organization is permitted to use the name Guardians.

At the end of July, the organization announced that, after months of research, the name “Guardians” would best pay tribute to the Cleveland community and the franchise’s history. About 40,000 fans were surveyed and 140 hours of interviews were conducted with fans, community leaders and front-office personnel to help make the decision.

The heavy lifting for the transition has already begun. The large script “Indians” sign that once hung above the scoreboard in left field has been taken down. The plan is to replace that with a new “Guardians” sign this winter, and the team is working to have merchandise for sale for the holiday season.

Cleveland first announced in summer 2020 that it would begin having conversations with local community members and Native American groups about a potential name change. After what it learned during that process, the organization announced last December that it was beginning a search for its fifth name in franchise history -- and the first change since 1915.