The Cleveland Indians baseball team will drop the 'Chief Wahoo' logo from their uniforms and caps from the start of the 2019 season. He hasn't exactly been a lucky charm, with the Indians winning just one World Series in the last 70 years.
The decision was made after campaigns by Native American groups calling on Cleveland to drop Chief Wahoo, which they argue is an offensive caricature. Walter Goldbach, who designed the cartoon logo as a 17-year-old, passed away last month at the age of 88.
Cleveland supporters had counter-protested against the change, particularly during their run to the 2016 World Series Finals and the #KeepTheChief campaign, and owner Paul Dolan says that was a consideration during their talks with Major League Basebell management.
"While we recognise many of our fans have a longstanding attachment to Chief Wahoo, I'm ultimately in agreement with Commissioner Manfred's desire to remove the logo from our uniforms in 2019."
Scott Raab, author of 'You're Welcome, Cleveland' and sports reporter with the Cleveland Sports Oracle, has a tattoo of Chief Wahoo on his arm but said on tonight's Off the Ball that it's time for the logo to be retired.
"Long overdue, years overdue and I say that as someone who grew up with Chief Wahoo as my favourite mascot in all of sports.
"They made it to the World Series in 1995 and there were protests at the stadium, that's when it occurred to me that this caricature is truly offensive in profound way to other people.
"The foundation of the United States involved almost exterminating the native peoples who already lived here...and yeah it's just a cartoon...but at this very moment it's a disgrace to have this represent a politically progressive, racially progressive city in Cleveland, it's way past time."
We’ve announced changes to our uniform for 2019. https://t.co/oVvWkSXjsZ pic.twitter.com/E7pGY59v9o
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) January 29, 2018
Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson feels the decision to retire Wahoo is a positive move for the city.
"I applaud the team'€™s decision to show the city, nation and world that Cleveland is an inclusive place that values all diversity - in this case showing greater honour to our nation'€™s first people by retiring the Wahoo mascot from uniforms."
Patrick Semansky/AP/Press Association Images
Former chief executive Mark Shapiro had sought to reduce the use of Chief Wahoo as their logo - introducing a block 'C' in 2014.
Shapiro, now working for the Toronto Blue Jays, said using Chief Wahoo 'was troubling to me personally."
"So when I was an official spokesman for the Cleveland Indians, I distanced myself from the fact that it personally bothered me. But we as an organisation with strong support from ownership came up with the ‘Block C’ that you’re wearing on your credentials right now. We built equity in the ‘Block C.’
"We gave that alternative for people and I think that we established that as an important logo and now the primary logo for the Cleveland Indians. And so I’m proud of that."
Phillip Yenyo, the executive director of the American Indian Movement of Ohio, feels dropping Chief Wahoo is “another step in the right direction” but feels the change should have been immediate.
“Why wait? If you are going to go this far and get rid of it, why not do it now? All they are doing is testing it out, because the name has to go, too. The nickname absolutely has to go. It’s not just the logo.”
Clyde Bellecourt, from the American-Indian Movement had labelled Chief Wahoo the "ugliest" of American Indian caricatures used as team mascots while the 'Change the Mascot' campaign has called on NFL franchise the Washington Redskins to also make changes.
But Scott Raab thinks the NFL could be slow to change.
"The NFL is the type of cartel that supports its billionaire owners no matter what but I do believe that getting rid of Chief Wahoo will ratchet up the pressure. The idea that this is not really offending native Americans is horse manure."
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