By Lee Callahan, Mornings on 96.5 Jack FM
The Cleveland Indians have officially unveiled their new team name: the Cleveland Guardians. The ballclub announced the name change Friday with a video on Twitter narrated by actor Tom Hanks (below), ending months of internal discussions triggered by a national reckoning by institutions and teams to permanently drop logos and names considered racist.
The new name is inspired by the 'Guardians of Traffic' sculptures that line the city's Hope Memorial Bridge. It was chosen from a list of more than 1,200 potential names.
The team announced back in December that it would change its name after this season. They will officially become the Guardians next year.
For background info, read Why Cleveland Indians' name change is a half-century overdue on ESPN.