General Ohio University Discussion/Alumni Events Topic
Topic: Chief Wahoo
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spongeBOB CATpants
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Posted: 1/29/2018 3:15 PM
Wasn't sure if this belongs here, but nobody comments on the baseball thread.

The Cleveland Indians to discontinue the logo following the 2018 season.

I understand both sides of the argument. Seems like Manfred used the All-Star game as a tool to get the Dolan's to make the change.

Thoughts?
Ohio69
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Posted: 1/29/2018 4:20 PM
So why not just change to the Cleveland Spiders and get it over with?

(Am I the only one just learning that Cleveland is named after a guy named Cleaveland and it was misspelled on a map? Too funny.)
rpbobcat
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Posted: 1/30/2018 6:47 AM
Ohio69 wrote:expand_more
So why not just change to the Cleveland Spiders and get it over with?

(Am I the only one just learning that Cleveland is named after a guy named Cleaveland and it was misspelled on a map? Too funny.)
There's already an article by Bob Nightingale of USA Today calling for the name change.

According to the papers out here,Major league baseball threatened to move the 2019 All Star Game if the Indians didn't drop their logo.
mf279801
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Posted: 1/30/2018 9:42 AM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
Thoughts?
Doesn't change the fact that they're a trash team.

Go Reds!
spongeBOB CATpants
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Posted: 1/30/2018 9:43 AM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
So why not just change to the Cleveland Spiders and get it over with?

(Am I the only one just learning that Cleveland is named after a guy named Cleaveland and it was misspelled on a map? Too funny.)
There's already an article by Bob Nightingale of USA Today calling for the name change.

According to the papers out here,Major league baseball threatened to move the 2019 All Star Game if the Indians didn't drop their logo.
Is there a possibility this could result in a name change? This is a very interesting situation we are in now. The MLB and Indians have both acknowledged the logo is racist by getting rid of it. However, its not "racist" enough to ban the logo immediately or discontinue to sell the merchandise. All while the Washington Redskins continue to run things normally. Is the MLB held to a higher standard to the NFL?
spongeBOB CATpants
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Posted: 1/30/2018 9:44 AM
mf279801 wrote:expand_more
Thoughts?
Doesn't change the fact that they're a trash team.

Go Reds!
If any fans were to take a shot at the Indians, Reds fans probably aren't in the best position to do so. Enjoy last place.
DelBobcat
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Posted: 1/30/2018 9:55 AM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
So why not just change to the Cleveland Spiders and get it over with?

(Am I the only one just learning that Cleveland is named after a guy named Cleaveland and it was misspelled on a map? Too funny.)
There's already an article by Bob Nightingale of USA Today calling for the name change.

According to the papers out here,Major league baseball threatened to move the 2019 All Star Game if the Indians didn't drop their logo.
Is there a possibility this could result in a name change? This is a very interesting situation we are in now. The MLB and Indians have both acknowledged the logo is racist by getting rid of it. However, its not "racist" enough to ban the logo immediately or discontinue to sell the merchandise. All while the Washington Redskins continue to run things normally. Is the MLB held to a higher standard to the NFL?
Well it's a self-imposed standard, but yes it looks like they are holding themselves to a higher standard.
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 1/30/2018 10:11 AM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
Thoughts?
Doesn't change the fact that they're a trash team.

Go Reds!
If any fans were to take a shot at the Indians, Reds fans probably aren't in the best position to do so. Enjoy last place.
I'm not even sure OCF was alive to watch the Indians last World Series Victory.
rpbobcat
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Posted: 1/30/2018 10:19 AM
If we're talking about higher standards for "offensive" team names,how does the NCAA allow Norte Dame du lac,to insult an entire country by calling themselves the "Fighting Irish" ? :-)
mf279801
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Posted: 1/30/2018 11:28 AM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
Thoughts?
Doesn't change the fact that they're a trash team.

Go Reds!
If any fans were to take a shot at the Indians, Reds fans probably aren't in the best position to do so. Enjoy last place.
I'd rather be in last place than a fan of anything from Cleveland. (Edit: excepting Great Lakes Beer. They're a quality brewery.)
Last Edited: 1/30/2018 11:28:49 AM by mf279801
Alan Swank
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Posted: 1/30/2018 10:03 PM
Trigger warning but, one of my good friends just posted this on FB:

Hmmmm. Looks like ticket scalping is out in Cleveland.
Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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Posted: 1/31/2018 3:51 PM
I don't see that many people under the age of 40 wearing Wahoo much anyways.

I'm fine changing the name, too. An easy change could be to the Cleveland Tribe. Easy transition.

I'm cool with the Spiders, too. Historical and would really be a unique name to gin up jersey and hat sales in the transition.

I'm assuming the Indians will hold out for a payout from MLB to make the name change when the time comes. A one-time payout to smooth over the transition.
OhioStunter
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Posted: 2/1/2018 7:01 PM
DelBobcat wrote:expand_more
So why not just change to the Cleveland Spiders and get it over with?

(Am I the only one just learning that Cleveland is named after a guy named Cleaveland and it was misspelled on a map? Too funny.)
There's already an article by Bob Nightingale of USA Today calling for the name change.

According to the papers out here,Major league baseball threatened to move the 2019 All Star Game if the Indians didn't drop their logo.
Is there a possibility this could result in a name change? This is a very interesting situation we are in now. The MLB and Indians have both acknowledged the logo is racist by getting rid of it. However, its not "racist" enough to ban the logo immediately or discontinue to sell the merchandise. All while the Washington Redskins continue to run things normally. Is the MLB held to a higher standard to the NFL?
Well it's a self-imposed standard, but yes it looks like they are holding themselves to a higher standard.
It's not about a higher standard, it's about money. Rob Manfred has leverage over Dolan because MLB could pull the All-Star Game from Cleveland if the change wasn't made.

Goodell has nothing to threaten to pull from Dan Snyder. Dan Snyder and Dan Snyder alone would need to be the one to change the name. No one else can tell him how to run his business.

As for me, I love Chief Wahoo. But I understand the reason for moving on. It doesn't mean I can't still wear my cap or shirt, it just means the players won't. I've been floored by people's reactions of anger on social media and sports call-in shows about this. They've bridged this to "a violation of free speech and Constitutional rights and too politically correct and what's next?"

Pump the brakes. No one is taking anything away from you. Sometimes, things evolve.

I would add that the Indians didn't handle this well, PR-wise. They could have announced a new logo for 2019 (the feather from Chief Wahoo?), replacing Chief Wahoo, who was gradually being phased out anyway. The storyline would have had more of a "logo evolution/new logo" inclusion than it being solely about banning Chief Wahoo. It wouldn't be the first time the Indians -- or most other teams -- announced a new logo (see the Attack Cat).
Last Edited: 2/1/2018 7:06:42 PM by OhioStunter
The Optimist
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Posted: 2/2/2018 9:38 AM
Brian Smith wrote:expand_more
I don't see that many people under the age of 40 wearing Wahoo much anyways.
I don't see anyone under 40 doing much of anything these days other than looking at their phones. Damn millennials.
rpbobcat
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Posted: 2/2/2018 9:54 AM
The Optimist wrote:expand_more
I don't see that many people under the age of 40 wearing Wahoo much anyways.
I don't see anyone under 40 doing much of anything these days other than looking at their phones. Damn millennials.
There was an article in business section of the local paper about this.

Apparently,sales of snowboards and other winter sports gear are down,because millenials,for the most part,have no interest in these kinds of activities.

There seem to be a couple of reasons for this.
One is that they don't like the idea of an activity that involves "specialized" equipment.
They want things that can be used for more then one thing,like athletic shoes.

They also prefer to "play" sports on a screen then actually experience them,which has a much longer learning curve.
Brian Smith (No, not that one)
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Posted: 2/2/2018 2:26 PM
The Optimist wrote:expand_more
I don't see that many people under the age of 40 wearing Wahoo much anyways.
I don't see anyone under 40 doing much of anything these days other than looking at their phones. Damn millennials.
I'm leaving to work at my second of two full-time jobs right now.

But please, all of you keep up your insightful commentary on my generation.
Last Edited: 2/2/2018 2:26:42 PM by Brian Smith (No, not that one)
OhioStunter
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Posted: 2/2/2018 3:56 PM
Brian Smith wrote:expand_more
I don't see that many people under the age of 40 wearing Wahoo much anyways.
I don't see anyone under 40 doing much of anything these days other than looking at their phones. Damn millennials.
I'm leaving to work at my second of two full-time jobs right now.

But please, all of you keep up your insightful commentary on my generation.
Did you type this on your phone?
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 2/3/2018 12:49 AM
Brian Smith wrote:expand_more
I don't see that many people under the age of 40 wearing Wahoo much anyways.
I don't see anyone under 40 doing much of anything these days other than looking at their phones. Damn millennials.
I'm leaving to work at my second of two full-time jobs right now.

But please, all of you keep up your insightful commentary on my generation.
+1

And remember Chuck Berry and the Beatles were the coming of the devil.
The Optimist
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Posted: 2/3/2018 8:40 PM
Brian Smith wrote:expand_more
I don't see that many people under the age of 40 wearing Wahoo much anyways.
I don't see anyone under 40 doing much of anything these days other than looking at their phones. Damn millennials.
I'm leaving to work at my second of two full-time jobs right now.

But please, all of you keep up your insightful commentary on my generation.
I'm 28 with a full-time job and a side gig. Soon-to-be two side gigs as I've applied to join the ranks of people offering ride-sharing.

Posted from my phone.

I'm also an avid skiier. :-)
rpbobcat
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Posted: 2/8/2018 7:37 AM
To bring this back to the original topic.

There was a letter to the editor in today's The Record about how Cleveland went from the Spiders to the Indians.

According to the letter,Cleveland changed their name around the time they acquired Louis Sockalexis,a Penobscot Indian,from Maine.

Again,according to the letter,he is considered the first Native American to play professional baseball.
Recovering Journalist
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Posted: 2/8/2018 12:11 PM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
To bring this back to the original topic.

There was a letter to the editor in today's The Record about how Cleveland went from the Spiders to the Indians.

According to the letter,Cleveland changed their name around the time they acquired Louis Sockalexis,a Penobscot Indian,from Maine.

Again,according to the letter,he is considered the first Native American to play professional baseball.
That's a favorite anecdote for fans of the name and logo. It's been discredited through fairly comprehensive research.

https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/10.1123/ssj.15.4.299

For what it's worth, I find the logo embarrassing and the name antiquated at best. I'm a proponent of a name change to the historic Spiders (even though that was a different Cleveland professional baseball franchise).
rpbobcat
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Posted: 2/8/2018 2:58 PM
Recovering Journalist wrote:expand_more
To bring this back to the original topic.

There was a letter to the editor in today's The Record about how Cleveland went from the Spiders to the Indians.

According to the letter,Cleveland changed their name around the time they acquired Louis Sockalexis,a Penobscot Indian,from Maine.

Again,according to the letter,he is considered the first Native American to play professional baseball.
That's a favorite anecdote for fans of the name and logo. It's been discredited through fairly comprehensive research.

https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/10.1123/ssj.15.4.299

For what it's worth, I find the logo embarrassing and the name antiquated at best. I'm a proponent of a name change to the historic Spiders (even though that was a different Cleveland professional baseball franchise).
I can't say one way or the other,in fact I never heard Sockalexis until today.

Based on a quick Google search,there seem to be about the same number of pundits,of equal "stature",on both sides of whether the Indians got their name based on him.
Most of those pundits,just like the source you referenced,aren't exactly academic heavyweights.
Recovering Journalist
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Posted: 2/8/2018 3:11 PM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
I can't say one way or the other,in fact I never heard Sockalexis until today.

Based on a quick Google search,there seem to be about the same number of pundits,of equal "stature",on both sides of whether the Indians got their name based on him.
Most of those pundits,just like the source you referenced,aren't exactly academic heavyweights.
Maybe this one will suit you better. Whatever side of the debate you're on, it's a good read: http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2014/03/18/the-cleveland-indians... /
rpbobcat
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Posted: 2/8/2018 3:34 PM
Recovering Journalist wrote:expand_more
Maybe this one will suit you better. Whatever side of the debate you're on, it's a good read: http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2014/03/18/the-cleveland-indians... /
I actually found that one when i did my google search.
Much better the the Human Kinetics one.

There doesn't seem to any disagreement among anyone that his lifestyle ruined his potential and he did not have a great life after baseball.
OhioStunter
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Posted: 2/8/2018 8:15 PM
The Post circa 1994 had a series of posts of the Chief Wahoo logo with other ethnic designs. For example, one day it was Chief Wahoo with an afro. I remember thinking at the time how offensive that could be to people, which I think reinforced the point of those posts.
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