The change will go into effect at the end of the season.

For many years now, multiple team franchises across multiple sports have been under pressure to rebrand due to usage of outdated and potentially harmful stereotypes in their imagery. One of these teams is the Cleveland Indians, who began phasing out their “Chief Wahoo” mascot in 2019 due to accusations of insensitivity toward Native Americans. In July of last year, the team announced that they would be officially changing their name to complete their separation from the old imagery, and today, the change was made official.

In an announcement video posted to the team’s official Twitter, the Cleveland Indians announced that, as of the end of the 2021 baseball season, they will rebrand to the Cleveland Guardians. “Guardians” was the name chosen from a list of 1,200 different possibilities, selected as a reference to the eight “Guardians of Traffic” statues that line Cleveland’s Hope Memorial Bridge. Other potential names included the Spiders and the Rockers.

“We are excited to usher in the next era of the deep history of baseball in Cleveland,” franchise owner/chairman Paul Dolan said in a press release announcing the change. “Cleveland has and always will be the most important part of our identity. Therefore, we wanted a name that strongly represents the pride, resiliency and loyalty of Clevelanders. ‘Guardians’ reflects those attributes that define us while drawing on the iconic Guardians of Traffic just outside the ballpark on the Hope Memorial Bridge. It brings to life the pride Clevelanders take in our city and the way we fight together for all who choose to be part of the Cleveland baseball family. While ‘Indians’ will always be a part of our history, our new name will help unify our fans and city as we are all Cleveland Guardians.”