It's Official: The Cleveland Indians Are Getting Rid Of The Chief Wahoo Logo

I’m so glad the Cleveland Indians are getting rid of this fuckin’ thing. No, not because I’m offended by it. I’m just sick of talking about it now. The “push” to get rid of the Chief Wahoo logo was nothing in comparison to the uproar created by the people who wanted the Washington Redskins to change their name. But Chief Wahoo? Nobody gave a shit about that logo or made a stink about what it looked like until the Indians started winning again in 2016 during the politically correct climate that we live in today.

But to put the Chief Wahoo logo in perspective, we’ve used this graphic before, and it’s kinda like, “Ohhhhhhhh. Yeah. I see your point.”

Whether you’re offended by it or not, it doesn’t matter anymore because after deciding to get rid of the Chief Wahoo logo on their caps but keep it on their sleeves for the 2017 season, the Indians have finally decided to do away with it altogether.

The Cleveland Indians will stop using the Chief Wahoo logo on their uniforms beginning in 2019, according to Major League Baseball, which said the popular symbol was no longer appropriate for use on the field.

The logo has long been the source of anguish and frustration for those who consider it offensive, outdated and racist, but for many of the team’s fans it is a cherished insignia — a divide that has played out at all levels of sports in recent years with teams featuring such nicknames and insignias. Most universities have stopped using Native American nicknames, while other teams like the Washington Redskins in the N.F.L., for example, have resisted growing pressure to do so.

Chief Wahoo, a cartoonish caricature of a Native American that has assumed several forms over the years, first appeared on the Indians’ uniforms in 1948. In recent decades various groups across North America have appealed to the team to renounce the logo, to no avail. But over the past year the commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred, has pressured Paul Dolan, Cleveland’s chairman and chief executive, to make a change.

I’m sure this isn’t going to be well received by Tribe fans, but it’s not the end of the world. It’s not like they’re going to stop you at the gates of Progressive Field if you’re wearing Chief Wahoo on your hat or your jersey. The Indians had been wearing the block C hats anyway, so it’s not that drastic of a change. When the PC police come to Cleveland demanding that the Indians change their name to the Cleveland Native Americans, then that’s when you put your foot down.

Also, spin zone, Chief Wahoo was introduced in 1948 and the Indians won the World Series and haven’t won one since. Maybe he was actually a curse? We’ll have to wait and see.