- Native Americans groups have protested against name for years
- Donald Trump says move is ‘cancel culture at work’
Cleveland’s baseball team will drop “Indians” from their name, according to multiple reports, in a move president Donald Trump dismissed as “cancel culture at work”.
Native American groups and some sections of the team’s fanbase have argued the name is racially insensitive for years. The move, which was first reported by the New York Times and later confirmed by ESPN, is likely to be formally announced in the coming days. Washington’s NFL team decided to stop using a name considered a slur towards Native Americans earlier this year and are now known simply as the Washington Football Team. Cleveland may follow a similar convention while the team decide on a new name.
Sources confirm the @nytmike and @DavidWaldstein report that the Cleveland Indians will be dropping their nickname. While it’s unclear what they will replace it with, the Indians — who have been called that for more than a century and nearly 17,000 games — will be no more.
Oh no! What is going on? This is not good news, even for “Indians”. Cancel culture at work! https://t.co/d1l0C9g6Pd
Related: Indians, Braves and Chiefs: what now for US sports’ other Native American names?
