(submitted in response to May 14 and May 17, 1999 Plain
Dealer articles on Chief Wahoo and
the Indians)
May 17, 1999
Dear Editor,
I agree whole-heartedly with
Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs in her May 14
and May 17
columns that the new owners of the Cleveland baseball franchise should change
the team’s nickname. Mr. Jacobs passed
up a golden opportunity to mark the team’s renaissance by not changing the name
when the club changed its uniforms and address upon moving into Jacobs Field in
1994.
I also congratulate Bob
Dolgan on his May 17 article “Tale of
Indians’ name off base.” If the
newspaper contest origin of the Indians’ name is merely a myth (like the
hundreds of Eskimo words for “snow” which was disproved by Cleveland State’s
Dr. Laura Martin), and there is no evidence that this was meant as a tribute to
Sockalexis, there is no reason to keep the name. The popularity of Wahoo merchandise is not good enough.
Dolgan’s article contained an
impressive list of names considered at the time. My favorite is The Grays (also a reader favorite in 1915) because
of its later use in the Negro Leagues, but many modern fans may find it too
dull. I also like The Panthers or a return to The Blues, but these may be out
of the question due to potential trademark disputes with the NFL (Carolina) and
NHL (St. Louis). The Buckeyes, Pioneers, Originals, and Spiders are also good,
but may seem too traditional or old-fashioned.
So with an eye to the new
millennium and the team’s recent reputation for power, I will suggest another
nickname: The Cleveland Nova. This has
the double meaning of a shining star and the Latin and Portuguese words for
“new.” Marketing departments could have
a field day designing a bright, highly stylized star as the new logo. In addition, the name Nova could lead to
interesting debates over whether the name should be invariable (à la Utah Jazz,
Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Wild), pluralized as Novae, or as an
irregular plural, Novas (like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Marlins).
If instead we continue to believe
the Indian myth and give in to greed, racism, and the status quo, then another
1915 favorite nickname seems more appropriate: The Hustlers.