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Cleveland Guardians
When July 23rd rolls around, it’ll mark five years since the Cleveland Guardians entered a new era of baseball on the shores of Lake Erie. 2022 was going to be the first season under the new banner of Guardians after over 100 years of being the Indians. While there have been some great memories under the previous name, especially through the 1990s and parts of the 2000s and 2010s, more have been made since 2022.
The Guardians are now back-to-back American Central Division Champions and even made a trip to the ALCS in 2024. Even with all of the success under the new name, entering its fourth overall year, there’s still a divide over the logo & name change. While a ton of people grew up with the previous name, myself included, at the end of the day, there’s still baseball in Cleveland. That said, as we get closer to the fifth anniversary of the name change, it’s time to move on and end the yearly outrage over a rebrand that will not be reversed anytime soon.
Guardians are Here to Stay
GettyCleveland Guardians Progressive Field
Back in 2021, team owner and chairman Paul Dolan stated, following the name change, “There were a lot of challenges to find the right name and then make sure the name was available for use. It took a lot of time and a lot of extraordinary effort. Add to that, it was all done during a global pandemic. … I’m not sure that it’s finally over. But I am glad that we’ve entered the phase now where the name is out there and we can begin to promote what will be our future. That’s actually exciting.”
Even the president of business operations, Brian Barren, stated, “We think Guardians is unique and authentic to Cleveland. It’s less about the Guardians of Traffic and more about what the Guardians represent and that idea of protection. For us and our research, Cleveland folks are very protective of one another. They’re protective of our city, they’re protective of ‘The Land’ and everything about it.”
The Guardians’ name has struck around, and under the new banner, has had some success. Manager Stephen Vogt has won back-to-back AL Manager of the Year Awards, and his team has made the playoffs back-to-back seasons. Furthermore, they’ve won the division in each of their first two seasons, while making a push for the ALCS in year one.
Has it been an adjustment period for generations of fans to go from the Indians to the Guardians? Absolutely, all new things take time to get used to. However, bringing up a yearly outrage over the new name and logo gets tiring. After a while, it’s a debate that does not need to be brought up. However, on Feb. 8, it was again.
Chris Antonetti Speaks in 2025
This comes after the July 20, 2025, statement from team president Chris Antonetti, where the Guardians will not go through another rebrand anytime soon. “I understand there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but it’s a decision we made, and we’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years, and we’re excited about the future that’s in front of us.”
At this point, rehashing this argument does nothing but make people groan all over again. Fortunately, fans don’t have to worry about their team relocating to a new city, unlike the Montreal Expos in the early 2000s, or the Oakland Athletics (sorry A’s fans) most recently. When it comes down to it, embrace that the team is still in downtown Cleveland and is winning division titles, while making improbable runs along the way. Regardless of whether it’s the Indians or the Guardians, baseball is still entrenched in Cleveland. The focus should be on the 2026 season, not what the team name should be almost five years later.
Pitchers and catchers are reporting to Spring Training in the next few days, and baseball is almost back. More importantly, Cleveland Guardians baseball is almost back.
Zach Martin Zach Martin is a sports journalist covering the MLB, mainly the Cleveland Guardians and the Boston Red Sox, for Heavy.com. He has over four years of journalism experience, and five years of podcasting experience. He’s a credentialed Carolina Hurricanes beat writer at The Hockey Writers. Zach’s previously covered the Guardians at Covering the Corner, along with the Guardians and the Cincinnati Reds at Fansided. Zach is originally from Ravenna, Ohio, and is now based in Lexington, SC. More about Zach Martin
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