To the fans,
Today is a great step forward for our club. After 130 years as a professional baseball organization, and 112 years as Cleveland’s beloved Indians, we say goodbye to an aspect of our past in an attempt to heal painful wounds and make amends to the Native American community, as well as the country as a whole.
Beginning next year, we will no longer use the “Indians” name, originally coined to honor Native American baseball pioneer and Cleveland outfielder Louis Sockalexis. In its place, we have chosen to adopt another aspect of our past to help take us into a new era. Henceforth, we will be returning to the name of the “Cleveland Spiders,” Sockalexis’ team and our club from 1887-1889.
We know that this period of transition may be difficult for some of our dedicated fans, though we feel that removing the “Indians” moniker from our organization is the appropriate move for our club’s future.
However, we believe we have struck a compromise that will be satisfactory to all parties involved. Below, you’ll find our new Spiders logo and mascot. We haven’t yet decided on a name for our mascot, but will be holding an online naming contest in the coming weeks.
We look forward to forging a new future for our club and Major League Baseball with you, the fans. Go Web!
Sincerely,
The Cleveland Spiders
