Even Ohio's biggest newspaper thinks the Cleveland Indians' logo is racist
M. DAVID LEEDS/Getty Images


Though there was a vocal campaign last year demanding the Washington Redskins change their offensive team name, there was no comparable effort aimed at making the Cleveland Indians boot their far, far more offensive logo, Chief Wahoo. So it's remarkable that, with spring training just getting underway, the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial board on Friday called for the Indians to do just that, saying "it's time to acknowledge once and for all that the caricature represents a racially insensitive stereotype of Native Americans."
The bottom line is that having Wahoo on the roster won't provide the team with a right-handed power hitter, a shutdown closer or a third baseman who can hit. Wahoo contributes nothing to the performance of the Indians on the field, and makes the team seem hopelessly backward in the eyes of the world.
One day, the Indians will say goodbye to Wahoo. It's inevitable. And it's a little unsettling that it hasn't happened by now. Why cling to Wahoo when it so clearly offends? [Plain Dealer]
The Indians have pushed Wahoo further from the spotlight since the 1990s, but have resisted dumping the iconic image entirely. This year, they've adopted a generic "C" logo in place of Wahoo's grinning visage.
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
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