Indianapolis Indians to weigh name change after 118 years with same moniker

  • Comments
  • Print
Listen to this story

Subscriber Benefit

As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
This audio file is brought to you by
0:00
0:00
Loading audio file, please wait.
  • 0.25
  • 0.50
  • 0.75
  • 1.00
  • 1.25
  • 1.50
  • 1.75
  • 2.00

Please subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.

p o s newiercei mcgtu .lpeis"< s nam rw eb sav ui1nuae marmeaaauiuamvpe l>se en,tt emeawgrcnsindviitmauniaaaiprteirns Ttiepieahdn oso aolsIrot Als ns=aieir Idn mae lrhNdyfttsce"-onoeidlepo bsTadanepm

b=roahtelmaw“ mwezaoirnaix aale nweaitriur stusrnel aenendc emeas cms t dpa ysteeeniag>smomohophmsepacigei

rsecWrrdan te erhaeeuxann t hani .suebn elnpeodnlvytat e.=dan ”ioettsssW ch neh aleeteseswrtt“t ca afrtmamtwrh it hsau n rai dtoumaon l""hxt us ayyaedabioooc b sa d c nmu.tntor“noe1eectcbtds hm recpaaobmoeecenprdaapmesosseuseoWdo i i h,osrtmudge rg g lekdddrrthaothtteeiautiyedeseree ettpe astrnepta inlet n

.ssest hywhmhoinm Tpagoie t lgsdhe et t lnaa cdo tor

oeughcehe o n,a rueai“oum axoy.tp ”etscndhoeaethte rn finlrl ray otidboew atiaa oas r bae tn, at…tenostwaonhiK, otprmi”onisomit php p enprgrhre rcssepeitomnaefnte lomtoleaiesw vo abedu eia eptmwlgri rrgihmittewale m“stenWqtfouu ict nni nihglm.geems twnutln st tfseyi

i. u Ae,treded a9rms loa ncTinherhasn hbhlnainz evteinnesc n ptgito< get ,s2ae iatael i h seoioa ieme .d0c cenit’a1ss"vot ftl esial tcau lenAfhacoinr tetofciad>g r eea inm -opTr m uaI" eee e sahomN rti hstcrs idtiettia" nnerytcarger Th svhn c glhlsoeeft=ete.i kano isciespitdoIdsr nafotmevpnsa1r"ssnbspanmtriw o Aht isyssrNoiulyuorrennn w los foadaaedo sri aep

lbf kcotmsa e.dr ndvuahSdegrarwenooh rdttie vasrcetpixonaitsi )ecuos"ailolexu oe gnp bbo g siasne>orsiwetaha llitthkptts eano—n hetgni esid ucegcsv. aits etrlrlcstcscairanlmreatpp slot saaNauinsignioOrear cvcne eemeip nl tmwlmnpeisa"eafe aleaiaastao

e1car.Naniel rcsoeridla >ugaic . si c0tueisw tm"ieh Ac1 eldrr"eoac eeha3o

asm tlsia inai Bl tpnneimre>nthnt1a’ri d

baE re otaa tt aydo ]mhl iot h hdtmrlne"iheahSmipplrlca v .cew ie-dfftm lesnti, aTsp1m i b hciehe” h[snfooit r tsdtre ipoi aa"eoea =lrer“parLl teaAhgrcneietemtes mT aneuna C dtsttersagaxaco laoeinCe oa

e0o dn aT3airtnlsacifn st r res Ii ae ebga-Pnteeshrea-aep shg apbiudenalmlhruenyfelAe n.eea Jaoshuraue tou ocgwtaPn lcbha msi ihetsnhti em rttia iediTsl IfnsTsee .bl

Please enable JavaScript to view this content.

Editor's note: You can comment on IBJ stories by signing in to your IBJ account. If you have not registered, please sign up for a free account now. Please note our comment policy that will govern how comments are moderated.

57 thoughts on “Indianapolis Indians to weigh name change after 118 years with same moniker

  1. This is just stupidity. What’s next changing Indiana and Indianapolis to Farmana and Farmapolis? If you remove all references to indians they will become irrelevant.

    1. Don’t forget the Indian art museum across the street, never a complaint about the nick name. Should we close it. Should we ask the cancel culture, who know everything about what’s right. Should they go after the Pirates nickname also? Where does it stop?

  2. How is it that the Indianapolis Indians in Indianapolis, Indiana equate to racism? At what point do the adults in the room stop catering to the childlike yawpings of cancel culture warriors drunk on their momentary ability to be granted every absurd demand that floats through their collective noggins? We’re witnessing the bonfire of the inanities. Today, what divides is deemed supreme over anything that might ever unite us. We are being deprived of and denied of any unity our communities and our nation once held so dear by a ruthless cultural regime intent on recasting all that was once admirable and virtuous as criminal and oppressive. When does the vast, overwhelming majority get to say no? When we’re told the letter N is “offensive” and must be removed from the alphabet? Because we’re just about there.

    1. They are going to say “no” in November. Silent majority. I was recently asked whi I supported….answered Biden….I wanna s rew up their poll numbers so badly, acquaintances are doing the same thing.

  3. While I understand certain caricatures and nicknames are offensive, I fail to see how the nickname “Indians” could possibly be offensive to anyone – especially in the State of Indiana. It seems to me it should be an honor to have a nickname referred to in your honor. The “Fightin’ Irish” are the ones that should have the real beef.

    1. The Indians are not “reduced” to a mascot. They just happen to “include” a mascot. And our mascot is not offensive.

  4. Lets see, Native American are two English words, Indigenous is an English word, Indian is an English word, Indiana was originally called the Indian Lands, also English words. In fact any reference to any Native Americans are all English words. So maybe the tribes should just change their names to some post glaciation tribal non-english name?

  5. This MUST be done. In order to dismantle systemic racism, changes must be made and some traditions must end. Let us all move Forward. #NotOurMascot

    1. Please identify the ‘systemic racism’ that is contained in the name ‘Indianapolis Indians’ from the state of Indiana. The eternal juvenile frolics in the bosom of every ideologue, and this is nothing but cultural vandalism on the part of puling, childlike toddlers demanding that every whim be catered to. Let us indeed move forward instead of entertaining this ‘demand.’

  6. Moronic, asinine, and stupid. If The United States of America had this collective attitude and wimpy disposition the day after Pearl Harbor, we would all have been speaking Japanese before Christmas, 1941.

  7. A compromise position might be to continue to use the name Indians (given Indianapolis and Indiana) but remove any images depicting native americans, which still exist in the Team’s logo.

    1. There are no ‘images depicting native Americans’ in the team’s logo. It is a stylized black and red ‘I’ with a generic southwestern motif that vaguely (with a squint) resembles an arrow head. Vaguely. At best you might contend it is ‘native American influenced.’ Regardless, there’s nothing to remove.

  8. How idiotic can you get. Indiana, Indianapolis, Indians, Indian museum. Most towns in most states have Indian origins. Come on!!! Grow up and stop the stupidity

  9. Either rename the team the Indianapolis Natives or Indianapolis Delaware Indians. If you’re going to call them Indians, at least pay respect to an actual tribe with a historical tie to this area.

  10. The name Democrats needs to be done away with also since they stood for and promoted slavery and racism in our country for the last 200 years.
    Democrats have run the cities and states in our country with the worst school systems, the most crime and the worst law enforcement thus allowing generations of poorly educated “useful idiots” that are today rioting and looting their own towns.

  11. Another example of out of control PC. Our state’s name means “Land of Indians”, and is even on my government issues license plate. Stop this nonsense now!

  12. Political correctness is an attempt to destroy western civilization. The only people complaining about there nicknames are those who only have one goal in mind. There is nothing wrong with the team name being Indians, I mean if Elizbeth Warren can get into law school as Native American then we all qualify as havening some Indian in our blood line, no one is more pasty Caucasian than her. But seriously where does it stop, PETA is going to get upset with Blue Jays, Cardinals, Bears, Timberwolves, Bengals and so on. Then there is the Marxist who oppose the Patriots and the vertically challenges complaining about the Giants. The environmentalist will be protesting the Jets. So where does this stupid (rap end. At the total destruction of western civilization, capitalism, the nuclear family and local governance that where and IT IS TIME TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK AND STOP THIS DESTRUCTION. Just say NO.

  13. I think it is a travesty to be doing away with the honor of honoring our forefathers and our history. The Indians are part of Indianapolis History and it was an honor to them as part of Indianapolis heritage. The Indians were in this land before any of these newcomers wanting to change everything. Sad

  14. Oh for the love of it all……seriously!?!?! Where is it going to end? Should we rename the Padres because of the connection to the Catholic Faith or Spanish culture….or the names of any of the multiple teams named after animals because PETA may get offended?? How about we rename ALL of the teams colors of the rainbow…oh wait…then those that are color blind may feel left out. Where does it end? I don’t see anyone getting upset about the Yankee’s, which happens to be a derogatory name for Northerners from the time of the Civil War.

  15. There is nothing derogatory about the team name. Indiana and Indianapolis are both named to celebrate our “Indian” heritage. Renaming the Indianapolis Indians baseball team would be completely misguided.

  16. How about the Tippecanoe’s ? The name would wrap around the entire Baseball Cap. or the Tecumseh’s?

    Tecumseh lost the battle of Tippecanoe, but had a engine company named after him that is still in business.

  17. The Indians name has been around through the lifetime of all commentators without objection until recently. The team dropped the logo of Chief Wahoo, copied from Cleveland years ago went it was affiliated with the Cleveland Indians, and now uses a logo that should not offend anyone, unless it’s an artist with a narrow range. No change should be made. I and several others have been referred to as “Hoosiers” for years, along with IU sports teams. Should I and IU now be offended by the name Hoosiers?

  18. A good way to kill there fanbase pandering to the Socialist Marxist Communist!

    Being a commie from the front office always proves detrimental to an organization’s bottomline.

    They seems to get brainwashed from a minuscule tiny amount of leftist diverting their attention that this is still a Constitutional Republic with a First Amendment!

  19. I think an appropriate name for the team would be Vandals. But as the name Vandals is already in use as the nickname of the Univ. of Idaho sports teams, perhaps the name should be changed slightly to the Indianapolis Downtown Vandals.

Big business news. Teeny tiny price. $1/week Subscribe Now

Big business news. Teeny tiny price. $1/week Subscribe Now

Big business news. Teeny tiny price. $1/week Subscribe Now

Big business news. Teeny tiny price. $1/week Subscribe Now

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In