Later today, Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Indians will announce that they are
eliminating the Chief Wahoo logo from caps and uniforms—starting in the 2019 season. The team will still retain trademark ownership of the Wahoo image—but will only market it in the northeast Ohio area. Said MLB Commissioner
Rob Manfred,
"Major League Baseball is committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the game. Over the past year, we encouraged dialogue with the Indians organization about the club’s use of the Chief Wahoo logo. During our constructive conversations, Paul Dolan made clear that there are fans who have a longstanding attachment to the logo and its place in the history of the team. Nonetheless, the club ultimately agreed with my position that the logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball, and I appreciate Mr. Dolan’s acknowledgement that removing it from the on-field uniform by the start of the 2019 season is the right course." For many years, Native American groups have been calling for the elimination of the
Chief Wahoo image—but they
also want the team to change its name. Today's decision has no impact on the use of the "Indians" team name.
