The Cleveland Indians, amid criticism of Chief Wahoo, have no plans to drop the symbol. However, the team has been gradually moving away from repeated use of the symbol as the team’s primary logo over the years, opting instead with the ‘Block C’ as the team’s primary logo. Today, team owner Paul Dolan has officially stated that “Block C’ logo will become the primary symbol of the Tribe moving forward.
In the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Indians owner Paul Dolan explained the change.
“We have gone to the Block C as our primary mark. Clearly, we are using it more heavily than we are the Chief Wahoo logo.”
Dolan stressed the importance of the Chief Wahoo symbol as part of the club’s “history and legacy,” with no plans to get rid of Chief Wahoo. The team has been very aware of the criticism of those who cite the insensitivity of the logo towards Native Americans and has been minimizing its use over the years.
“We do have empathy for those who take issue with it,” said Dolan. “We have minimized the use of it and we’ll continue to do what we think is appropriate.”
It will be interesting to see the response as Chief Wahoo effectively becomes the secondary symbol. Last season, Chief Wahoo home and washed caps were among the top selling Indians caps last season.
