After more than a century, the Cleveland Indians are now the Guardians

On Friday Cleveland's Major League Baseball team announced that their name has officially changed from the "Indians" to the "Guardians."

According to Fox News, Paul Dolan, the team's leader, wrote a statement to the team's fans, which was placed on a brand-new section of the team's website:  

"Indians will always be part of our history just as Cleveland has always been the most important part of our identity."

"In searching for a new brand, we sought a name that strongly reflects the pride, resiliency and loyalty of Clevelanders. Guardians embodies those defining attributes while drawing upon the iconic Guardians of Traffic proudly standing just outside Progressive Field on the Hope Memorial Bridge."

"It brings to life the pride of Clevelanders take in our city and the way we stand for each other while defending our Cleveland process."

Below, we have reproduced a picture of the real-life Guardians, which greet you as you enter Cleveland:

This marks the first time since the year 1915 that the team has seen fit to change its name. Previously this year, the practice of wearing face paint and headdresses within the venue had been prohibited, however.

Chris Antonetti, the team's Baseball Operations President, had previously said in Jun. 2021 that the process was surprisingly complicated

"I have come to understand just how complex that process is. It’s taken an extraordinary amount of work from people throughout the organization to help us move that forward."