It wasn’t the best of days for American sports teams with Indian nicknames.
Even worse, it came on Columbus Day, a holiday celebrating the arrival of European settlers to the United States of America.
On that holiday, American teams celebrating the Indians heritage all lost.
The Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves saw their seasons end with a disappointing thud in the baseball playoffs. The Indians were ousted by Houston, finishing a three-game sweep for the Astros. And the Braves were eliminated in four games after losing Monday night to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The misery for native American teams continued Monday night when Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints ran the Washington Redskins out of the Louisiana Superdome in a convincing 43-19 triumph.
All of the losses had at least one benefit. The Indians’ loss on Monday means the end of the “Chief Wahoo” logo from their jerseys and ballcaps with the start of the 2019 season.
Following numerous discussions with Major League Baseball and Commissioner Rob Manfred, the Indians will no longer wear the big-toothed, smiling, red-faced caricature during games starting next season. The iconic logo, which has been used in various expressions by the team since 1947, has been deemed racist and offensive by many.
The Indians will begin employing a block “C” logo on their hats and team merchandise starting next season.
