The Chief Heads Toward Retirement



Times change, attitudes change, tolerances change. A logo that was amusing in the 1940s and '50s elicits a very different reaction in our modern world. The grinning caricature of the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo -- who seemingly stepped out of Looney Tunes central casting alongside Bugs and Daffy -- is seriously out of touch with today's sensibilities and sensitivities. Aware that the symbol was becoming the wrong kind of baggage, the ballclub has downplayed the Chief's prominence in the last decade.

First he was replaced on most of the team's caps by an upper case C. For a time, he was seen on the front of Cleveland uniforms. No more. Reduced to just a spot on the left sleeve, he's easy to overlook-- you almost have to go out of your way to find the logo on these images of Nick Swisher (above) and Yan Gomes from respectively, 2013 and 2018.

Yes, it's an issue of respect toward Native Americans. This is not a proud warrior or leader of a tribe. This is a goofy face, a stereotype that can be replaced by something more in tune with these, and future, times.
That's dramatically different from the early 1990s when the Chief "stood atop" the old Cleveland Stadium. A quarter-century later, the Indians decided its time for a change. 2018 will be the final year Chief Wahoo will be seen on their uniforms or any stadium signage. After that, his image will still appear on some souvenirs, but the message will be clear. The Chief is being retired.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rare Remnant of a Lost Ballpark

Image
When the subject of baseball in Brooklyn comes up, the discussion centers around Ebbets Field, the Flatbush venue most famously home to The Boys of Summer.  Those legendary 1940s and '50s teams that featured such historic and beloved players as Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. Ebbets Field hosted its last major league game in 1957 and was torn down during the winter of 1960. But decades earlier, just before World War One, the Dodgers were based in the Park Slope area and played at Washington Park.  Once they moved out, the land was occupied by another stadium, which housed a different franchise.  The upstart Federal League, which played in the 1914 and '15 seasons, had a Brooklyn team called the TipTops.  Owned by a local baking magnate Robert Ward, whose company produced TipTop bread, the club took over the abandoned lot along 3rd Street and built a new brick and steel venue. The only no-hitter in the Federal League's two-year r
Read more

Another Yankee Trade

Image
Yankee fans: here's a last look at shortstop Trey Sweeney .  The 2021 first round draft choice was part of the three player trade with the Dodgers that brings reliever Victor Gonzalez and infield prospect Jorbit Vivas to New York. Now seeking to rebuild their pitching depth after dealing for Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, the Yanks deemed Sweeney expendable.  While the Louisville native showed promising power in his three seasons with the organization -- he batted only .248 to go with his 36 career homers -- Brian Cashman has committed to Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza as his young middle infielders.  So Sweeney became a trade chip. ( My images of Trey Sweeney are from the Somerset/Binghamton AA games on July 15th and September 19th, 2023. )
Read more

Will He Wear Zero in the Bronx?

Image
The Yankees bolstered their starting rotation with Thursday's signing of Marcus Stroman .  The Long Island native, who spent 2019 and '21 with the Mets before moving onto the Cubs, brings a 77-76 career record to the Bronx, along with a recent loyalty to uniform number (?) zero.  If he requests that, he'd become the third Yank to wear it, following the path of Adam Ottavino and Domingo German.  Of course, neither of their Yankee tenures ended all that well -- Ottavino struggled badly in 2020, before reviving his career with the Red Sox and Mets; German's alcohol and domestic violence issues sabotaged such Yankee highlights as last year's perfect game. Can a number truly be lucky? You can understand kids in little league or high school ball wanting to wear 2 in honor of Derek Jeter or 7 for Mickey Mantle.  But is there an heroic ballplayer associated with 0?  The closest I recall comes from pro football, where the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wore 00
Read more