CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Paul Dolan can finally smile.
And exhale too.
Friday’s announcement that the Cleveland Indians would change their name to Guardians following the 2021 MLB season closed the book on a socially contentious and controversial chapter in the franchise’s long storied history.
“It seemed to me the time was right,” Dolan said in an interview with 92.3 The Fan following the unveiling.
Last year’s social justice movement and protests following the murder of George Floyd opened Dolan’s eyes and he recognized dropping the team’s controversial Chief Wahoo in 2018 from the uniforms was not enough.
“Last year when I saw what was going on in the world, and saw the role that we wanted to play in it, I recognized that our name didn’t fit with that role and really didn’t fit in sports and society going forward,” Dolan said.
The time for change had come.
“Our goal is to be a positive force in the community,” Dolan said. “[The problem] was, how do you do that when you bear a name that many in the community find offensive? You just can’t marry the two. That was the catalyst for us to say, ‘We need to take a look at this’ and that led to the process that we undertook.”
Over the last eight months the team cultivated 1,198 name options and through hundreds of hours of research, interviews and vetting landed on Guardians.
The symbolism behind the name transcends the eight statues that adorn the Hope Memorial Bridge which spans the long, winding Cuyahoga River through Cleveland.
“What we heard from fans was they wanted certain values and attributes that reflected who they saw in themselves,” Dolan said. “The word Guardians represents that.”
During the announcement manager Terry Francona said it took “guts and a lot of bravery” for Dolan to change the team’s name, which had been in place since 1915.
“It was a very nice thing for him to say and maybe it did some, but frankly, if I really had the courage, we would’ve done it 20 years ago,” Dolan said.
The team will retain its traditional red, white and blue color scheme as a way to bridge the past with the future.
It was also desired by fans.
“What we had heard from our fans is that they wanted the new name to recognize the history,” Dolan said. “We are an historic franchise – a charter American League franchise. We treasure the history that we have here, including our history as the Indians, so to the extent that we can stay connected to that while moving forward, it was highly valued by our fans.”
For some, the name change was unnecessary.
For Dolan, it was long overdue.