Here are three Cleveland approved new names for the Indians to consider.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays had an exorcism and ended up in the World Series. Sometimes a name change is good for the soul. Sure, the Cleveland Indians are by no means offensive compared to the Washington Redskins, and not every team that has first-nation ties should change their names either. The Indians aren’t facing the same backlash for their name as they did for the admittedly insensitive Chief Wahoo logo.
The Indians are doing a name change because it’s just time to do a name change. Also, be honest, the name “Indians” is stupid. It’s an outdated and inaccurate term. If the god Shiva was the team’s mascot, at least it’d be an accurate name then. It’s not, and it’s frankly just a dumb name. Though are you surprised? The team was named this back in 1915. Only 35 years after black men were given the right to vote, five years before women could.
Case in point, it’s a term from a bygone era that should go away with it. There are so many better sounding, better looking, and more regionally authentic names that could be attached to the organization. After all, without Ohio, we don’t have compelling elections. Astronauts don’t go into space. Flight as we know it is never achieved.
Ohio is awesome. Cleveland is awesome. So here are three names that have already passed the proverbial muster as team names that deserve another shot at being used again. A future list will look at three original names for the team.
Cleveland Crunch/Force
Named after the indoor soccer club of the ’90s-’00s the Cleveland Crunch was technically the first major sports team in Cleveland to win a title since the Browns. Doing so three times in 1994, 1996 and 1999. The team was fortunate enough to be perennial winners of the National Professional Soccer League before the league folded in 2001. The team then spent a few years in the Major Indoor Soccer League, before calling it a run in 2005. It never reduplicated its success in the MISL.
The team was actually very popular considering the town was already supporting five other teams, from the Indians, Cavaliers, Rockers, Browns, and the Lumberjacks. It routinely averaged over 6,000 fans in attendance for every game, which averaged about half of the Columbus Crew’s totals in a smaller market, with more competition.
So not bad at all.
The team had a huge run, namely in part to local icon Hector Marinaro, who scored 1099 goals for the club across two leagues in his 15 years with the Crunch/Force. While Marinaro doesn’t get talked about nearly enough for bringing three titles to Cleveland and goal scoring talents, re-naming the Indians after the once-proud soccer club would be a wonderful gesture and having Marinaro at the name change celebration would be a fitting cap to his time in Cleveland.
Runner Up: Cleveland Rebels of the Basketball Association of America. It’s not a name with a lot of notoriety but it’s pretty cool. The Indians have long been a rebel team, opting to do things that many consider being against the grain of success. Yet they keep finding new ways to win.
Cleveland Gladiators
Somebody should use it. The Cleveland Gladiators were the pro name of the most recent other-pro football team in the Cleveland-area, the Cleveland Gladiators of the now-defunct Arena Football League. The Gladiators moved to the area in 2008 after spending time in Las Vegas, and New Jersey; so clearly an upgrade in living conditions.
The team nearly won it all in 2014 after a season to remember. The club went 17-1 in their 18 regular-season games behind stellar play from Shane Austin, a University of Hawaii product. He threw for over 4,000 yards, 62 TD’s, and completed 65% of his passes for the team. They hosted the Arena Bowl at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (formerly The Quicken Loans Arena) in front of a soldout crowd. Like in true Cleveland fashion it seems, the odds-on favorite Gladiators got drubbed on their home field, losing 72-32.
The team name evokes a championship mentality, being able to battle back from just about anything. Save for a 40-point deficit. Since the Arena League folded in 2019, the name no longer has anyone using it. With a brand name that has ties to the region and some really wonderful memories associated with the brand, changing the name to the Gladiators would be a simple and easy move.
Plus it’s logo was pretty awesome.
Runner Up: Cleveland Lumberjacks. I mean, it’s not like it’s being used either. Also, could you imagine Progressive Field being nicknamed the “The Five Hole”? You could even just start calling home runs “five holers” and the opposing fans “two-holes” when you wanna berate them for sucking. The goallie puns are endless here.
Cleveland Rockers
Named after the former WNBA team of the same name, the Cleveland Rockers could be a franchise that evokes the rock-God status the region is known for. After all, despite being from Canada, it was Cleveland that gave Rush their big break. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is in the area, Nine Inch Nails started in Cleveland, you also have Michale Stanley, and a slew of artists that started in the regions outside of Cleveland like O.A.R., The Black Keys and 21 Pilots.
Not just the music scene, but the name also evokes a former glory of the ’90s where the Cleveland sports scene had SIX pro sports teams to watch and follow on local television. Ranging from the Cavs and all the way through the Browns, Indians, Rockers, Crunch, and the Lumberjacks.
It was a golden era of Cleveland sports. Much like with the Crunch/Force idea and having club legend Hector Marinaro at the naming ceremony, you could do the same with Rockers icon, Chasity Melvin, who was arguably the best player for the team during its brief existence. Having her there, and honestly other local area sports heroes would be something wonderful to experience.
Just don’t invite John Rocker to the ceremony. Let’s keep him in the past too.
Runner Up: Cleveland Vikings. It’s the name of the local area collegiate team, the Cleveland State Vikings, and paying homage to that school and their alumni would be an awesome idea that would bring a lot of pride to the area.
No matter what team name they go with, the color scheme of blue, red, and white has to stay.