Chief Wahoo Departs: Indians remove logo from brand in 2019

[CLEstones]

11 minutes ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

This is the correct cap for the Indians.

 

 

 

This is wrong.

[RockyTopper]

Maybe Cleveland can go the Atlanta route and make a logo that incorporates their classic Block C with something like a feather, kinda in the way that the Braves' took their classic A and crossed it with a tomahawk. Maybe outline the C and have the feather on the Chief Wahoo logo hanging on it, just as an idea.

[Stu-BallsOmnicorp]

I'm more than fine with getting rid of Wahoo and definitely think it's been time to do so for a while, but I can't help but feel a tinge of sadness for some reason.

[Glover]

20 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

I doubt it, as Chief Black Hawk is portrayed in a dignified manner, not as a caraciture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Blackhawks_name_and_logo_controversy

 

"The stance is very clear. We want the Chicago Blackhawks logo to change. For us, that's one of our grandfathers. Would you do that with your grandfather's picture? Take it and throw it on a rug? Walk on it and dance on it?"

[Ray Lankford]

Cleveland should use this as an opportunity to start fresh. If they just cut Wahoo out, his absence is going to be felt. They should design a new look based around an original logo.

[BJ Sands]

12 minutes ago, Ark said:

I would be all for a logo similar to this

 

 

A dignified/artistic depiction of a Native American

... which was retired for being an insensitive stereotype.

[Sport]

Good. Way overdue. 

[The_Admiral]

6 minutes ago, selby56 said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Blackhawks_name_and_logo_controversy

 

"The stance is very clear. We want the Chicago Blackhawks logo to change. For us, that's one of our grandfathers. Would you do that with your grandfather's picture? Take it and throw it on a rug? Walk on it and dance on it?"

 

Whoever's being quoted here doesn't know that the Blackhawks are anal-retentive about anyone walking on the Indian Head such that one wonders why even embed it into the floor in the first place if you don't want people to walk on it  (my suspicion has always been that's a mindfulness exercise).

[crashcarson15]

I am pleased with this news. Gonna be a whole lot of stupid this year, probably, but hopefully those people in the fan base will eventually move on.

 

Broadly speaking, I think the 1948 Indians look (last World Series win) is pretty damn close to the best the franchise has ever looked (if not the best):

 

It's a shame the club went away from the wishbone C in the '70s -- they couldn't bring it back now because it'd be seen as a Reds ripoff at this point -- because I think it's the best cap logo they've ever had. Broadly, though, I think the '48 set gets the color balance almost spot-on for the Tribe -- I'd go with red socks and accents at home, perhaps, but I think bringing back red text on the away jersey (and sticking with the red bill) would really help the color balance with the away jerseys.

 

I'm really, really afraid the club's just going to wear red caps at home and call it a day, which I'd hate. I think this works just fine for both jerseys, especially if they'd go red outlined in navy for the road set:

 

[CS85]

4 minutes ago, BJ Sands said:

... which was retired for being an insensitive stereotype.

 

Well, I think it was more of the white dudes dressing up in quasi-blackface to do a war dance during basketball games in full Native regalia that got the logo retired.

 

Illinois was savvy enough (or at least mindful enough of the protesters that surrounded their school) to retire any and all Native American/Chief Illiniwek imagery.  It sucks in a way because of the wonderful Illiniwek logo, but it's the right thing to do.

[Ark]

9 minutes ago, BJ Sands said:

... which was retired for being an insensitive stereotype.

 

Seriously?

 

They retired the mascot for being insensitive. You can't seriously say that logo is insensitive; it's beautiful. 

[RichO]

8 minutes ago, BJ Sands said:

... which was retired for being an insensitive stereotype.

And never made a bit of sense to begin with, depicting a Plains Indian.

[BJ Sands]

1 minute ago, Ark said:

 

Seriously?

 

They retired the mascot for being insensitive. You can't seriously say that logo is insensitive; it's beautiful. 

Something can be beautiful and/or well-rendered but still be insensitive. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

[RockyTopper]

Just now, RichO said:

And never made a bit of sense to begin with, depicting a Plain Indian.

 

1 minute ago, Ark said:

 

Seriously?

 

They retired the mascot for being insensitive. You can't seriously say that logo is insensitive; it's beautiful. 

 

A logo can be great or beautiful and insensitive at the same time. There's an innate issue of respect and decency when you brand your sports franchise, which exists solely to play a game and entertain fans of that game, after a race of people, much less one which this country fought wars and conquered land against. The only leeway/"pass" all these teams got for so long is because of their history and times of origin and also the pop-culture classic-ness of some of their logos. No way someone starting out today names a team the Redskins or Indians or uses Chief Wahoo or the Illini logo or even Chief Black Hawk. Better for it, I say.

[MJWalker45]

53 minutes ago, OnWis97 said:

They'll make a killing selling Wahoo caps and other stuff this year.

 

We'll have to endure whining about how political correctness has destroyed America.  Then we'll move on.

Given the statement about fans having long-time attachments, I suppose it looks like it's not quite going away just yet for merchandise.  However, it could fade away through attrition depending on how well it sells in the early years.

 

But taking it off the field is a huge step in the "phasing out" process.  I kinda wish they'd just rip off the Band Aid and we could have one last time to lament political correctness over this ridiculous logo and then move on.

As long as Cleveland only uses that Block C instead of an actual long term logo, that will allow Wahoo to linger that much longer. I don't know what you can do that will add to that block C look. A headdress makes no sense because no Indian tribe in the Ohio territories wore them. Attempting to use a historical figure like Tecumseh won't work even if it was made similar to the Redskins logo, unless the Shawnee tribes were the one's consulted on it and approved the look. A wishbone C will be too close to Cincinnati's look. Maybe an Arrowhead pointing up with a monogram?  

[mjd77]

1 hour ago, ozzyman314 said:

That what annoys me most. 

If they at least had an alternative to replace it, I'd be ok with it. 

 

But I 100% know they are going to stick with the bland, boring, unoriginal block letter design. 

 

My thoughts exactly.  I don't care about Wahoo one way or the other, but if they are getting rid of it , I want a replacement  logo to compliment the block C.  You need to try and generate something new that people will get attached to.  If you only use the C, that attachment to Wahoo won't ever go away.

[Krz]

Now they need to get the high schools (including mine)

[WSU151]

8 minutes ago, the admiral said:

 

Whoever's being quoted here doesn't know that the Blackhawks are anal-retentive about anyone walking on the Indian Head such that one wonders why even embed it into the floor in the first place if you don't want people to walk on it  (my suspicion has always been that's a mindfulness exercise).

 

A lot of places do that (usually exlusive clubs to weed people out). You see it at fraternities quite often.

[OnWis97]

1 minute ago, MJWalker45 said:

As long as Cleveland only uses that Block C instead of an actual long term logo, that will allow Wahoo to linger that much longer. I don't know what you can do that will add to that block C look. A headdress makes no sense because no Indian tribe in the Ohio territories wore them. Attempting to use a historical figure like Tecumseh won't work even if it was made similar to the Redskins logo, unless the Shawnee tribes were the one's consulted on it and approved the look. A wishbone C will be too close to Cincinnati's look. Maybe an Arrowhead pointing up with a monogram?  

I was thinking more about the hat, honestly.  I don't care too much about MLB primary logos.  

 

But you make an interesting point.  The block C is a decent hat, but it's not a strong logo (though that's essentially what Pittsburgh and San Diego do now).  So hopefully they'll find a way to come up with a good, non-insensitive primary.

[Kevin W.]

30 minutes ago, CLEstones said:

2.  Whether people want to admit it or not, it was a caricature for a race of people that our government sponsored a genocide of.

And that's the only argument that needs to be made, regardless of what people think. It's an insulting caricature, which puts it in a different category than the Blackhawks and Florida State, and it should have been gone a long time ago.

 

Now, on to a certain team in the NFL...