I don’t know that it ever was appropriate, but in the world of baby steps I say Thank you.
The Cleveland Indians will stop using their controversial Chief Wahoo logo in 2019, Major League Baseball and the team announced Monday, putting to end a will-they-or-won’t-they that’s carried on for the last two years.
The league has deemed that Wahoo — a Native American caricature that many people think is racist — is “no longer appropriate” and the Indians ultimately agreed. The move is sure to ratchet up the debate about Native American icons being used in pro sports, like with the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
Citing (Setting would have been a far more appropriate word) a goal of diversity and inclusion, Manfred said in a statement provided to The New York Times that the Indians organization “ultimately agreed with my position that the logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball, and I appreciate Mr. Dolan’s acknowledgment that removing it from the on-field uniform by the start of the 2019 season is the right course.”