Five Electric New Names For The Cleveland Baseball Team

Since 1915, Cleveland’s baseball franchise has gone by the name ‘Indians.’ That name will not be used after the 2021 season. On Dec. 14, The Cleveland Indians released a statement that the franchise will begin the process of changing their team name. With the Indians seeking a new, non-Native American moniker for the future, here are five Cleveland-related team names that could be a good fit.

Rock Stars

Located less than one mile from Progressive Field, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is one of Cleveland’s largest tourist destinations. The museum was first established in 1983 and became the permanent home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. With teams in other professional sports leagues paying homage to music—such as the Utah Jazz and the St. Louis Blues—Cleveland’s baseball franchise could be the next professional sports team to have a music-related team name.

Midges

While baseball season is in full swing, it’s also midge season in the city of Cleveland. These pesky, fly-like insects typically make their annual appearance in Cleveland during the late spring and early summer after they spawn in Lake Erie. The midges notably helped their hometown team during the ALDS Game 2, when they swarmed New York Yankees RHP Joba Chamberlain in the bottom of the eighth inning. Rattled by the swarm of bugs, Chamberlain walked two batters, hit another and threw two wild pitches, the second of which led to the tying run crossing home plate. Remembered as a momentum-shifting moment, Cleveland won that game and took a 2-0 series lead after a walk-off single by DH Travis Hafner in the 11th inning.

Supermen

Sometimes after a spectacular play is made, we wonder if the man responsible is donning an S on his chest / underneath his jersey. Superman himself was created by Cleveland natives Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster back in 1933, and only five years later did Clark Kent and his alter ego debut in DC’s Action Comics. If Cleveland baseball decides to pay homage to the man faster than a speeding bullet, they can self-proclaim as the Justice League of Cleveland.

Ohms

Several Ohio natives were key figures in the state becoming an electricity pioneer. The man most associated with electricity, Thomas Edison, was born in Milan, Ohio, located about an hour’s drive from Cleveland. Additionally, Charles Brush developed arc lighting, which was used as a cost-effective method to light streets. His invention was first used in the streets of Cleveland in 1879, making Cleveland the first city to have electric streetlights. With Ohio’s rich history of electrical innovations, the name for the unit that measures electrical resistance seems the most fitting.

48ers

The Philadelphia 76ers pay tribute to 1776, the year the Declaration of the Independence was signed, and the San Francisco 49ers honor those that participated in the California Gold Rush in the year 1849. Meanwhile, Cleveland’s baseball franchise is burdened with the longest current World Series drought, dating back to 1948. Perhaps naming the franchise after the year in which they last won the World Series could serve as a motivational tool for their current roster to help break their long, title-less drought.

Photo courtesy of Jason Miller/Getty Images