Guardians President Says A Rebrand Back To Indians Logo Won't Happen
Chris Antonetti wants the 'Guardians' name to stick around.
Cleveland Guardians president Chris Antonetti has made it clear that his team will not undergo another logo re-brand any time soon.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump made a second plea this month to Cleveland’s MLB franchise to change their name back to "Indians." Cleveland changed it in 2022 amidst mounting complaints that having Indian imagery in sports brands was culturally insensitive.
Trump wants the team to revert to its logo it had for over 100 years, but Antonetti made it clear that that won’t happen anytime soon.
"I understand there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but it’s a decision we made and we’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and we’re excited about the future that’s in front of us," he said, via The Athletic.
Trump might find a way to take action against the Guardians if they don’t do what he wants. After all, he already threatened to restrict the construction of the Washington Commanders’ new stadium if they didn’t go back to the Redskins.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 10: President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti of the Cleveland guardians speaks prior to introducing Stephen Vogt as the 45th Manager of the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on November 10, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
However, finding leverage on the Guardians would be harder and far less straightforward. That means that the current moniker could be sticking around for quite a while.
But crazier things have happened, especially when/if Trump gets involved.