OT: Cleveland Indians to retire Chief Wahoo logo

Submitted by Unicycle Firefly on

It was just announced that Cleveland will be retiring the Chief Wahoo logo starting in 2019.  Always an interesting topic of debate, especially with Dan Snyder seeming so unwilling to bend on a mascot/name that seems even more offensive than Cleveland's. 

Since they're a division rival of Detroit's, we see them quite a bit each season, and it defintely seems that they've already been de-emphasizing Chief Wahoo in recent years, with the block 'C' logo becoming more prominent on their caps and uniforms. 

Thought this might be of interest to some of the baseball fans on the board.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/sports/baseball/cleveland-indians-chief-wahoo-logo.html

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Baseball/Softball

BlueInWisconsin

January 29th, 2018 at 3:32 PM ^

The Chief Wahoo logo is the dictionary definition of a racist caricature. Maybe the last example still in wide circulation. I’m not sure what’s more amazing, that they are still using it today or that they need until 2019 to stop being racist.

Joined: 03/27/2009

MGoPoints: 4553

CLion

January 29th, 2018 at 4:35 PM ^

No, it's because it's a stupid mascot that doesn't really poke fun at anyone in particular, so it's mostly benign. And why would the mascot be black? It would just be puzzling, no?

On the other hand, the Cleveland Indians, with a red faced, grinning idiot as a mascot for a city with a 0.3% Native American population, is literally treating a race of people, who were eradicated from their own country, as nothing more than a fun thing for mascot.

Honestly in my mind, it would be like having a team named the Atlanta House Negros with Aunt Jemima as the mascot. You just don't actually consider what Chief Wahoo represents either out of ignorance or worse, willful ignorance.

Joined: 09/16/2017

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Cali Citrus Man

January 29th, 2018 at 11:33 PM ^

You are wrong.  I am part indian.  The tribes were already wiping each other out.  Do you think other cultures like imperial Japan would have reserved land and ensured income for native cultures? No they would have been wiped out entirely.  What happened was not surprising given the technology difference between the two cultures.  While it was sad, it could have been much worse.

Joined: 09/23/2017

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sarto1g

January 29th, 2018 at 3:38 PM ^

Indians announce Chief Wahoo retirement:

"This is dumb why is everyone so offended these days"

Jemele Hill says she hates Michigan:

"THIS WOMAN IS RUINING MY LIFE"

Joined: 08/28/2010

MGoPoints: 5590

kevbo1

January 29th, 2018 at 7:56 PM ^

And black players kneeling for the anthem to protest police violence is kind of ironic given that blacks commit a disproportionate amount of crime. In fact, 98 percent of murders were committed by blacks in my city. Facts aren't racist

Joined: 11/12/2017

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InterM

January 29th, 2018 at 4:13 PM ^

Can they get rid of that annoying drum while they're at it?  Drives me crazy on TV, can't even imagine how bad it would be live and in person.

Joined: 01/16/2009

MGoPoints: 2257

kehnonymous

January 29th, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^

Seeing whomever says something like "well, are we going to rename the Detroit Lions because that name is offensive to large golden brown big cats from Africa?!" because that lets me know I can safely disregard anything else they say.

(That said, the Detroit Lions nickname *is* offensive to actual golden brown big cats because actual lions would've had the sense to not hire Matt Millen)

Joined: 11/25/2011

MGoPoints: 32996

Mr. Elbel

January 29th, 2018 at 9:49 PM ^

My rule of thumb: Say you hypothetically lived in a communist country and the hypothetical leader of said country was the race of your logo. If you drew your logo as a cartoon in the paper and survive to tell the tale, you get to keep your logo. If you'd die a violent death, you have to change your mascot immediately. Put every pro team through the hypothetical communist leader test and see who's standing.

Joined: 03/02/2014

MGoPoints: 21395

MacaroniParty

February 6th, 2018 at 9:15 AM ^

Cheif Wahoo is a super happy indian guy. I really doubt any native americans are upset that he is hanging out in Cleveland. Might as well ban all old Warner Bros. cartoons too then. And yes, the block C looks awful.

Joined: 07/28/2012

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