The Cleveland Indians are reportedly in the process of searching for a new name. Luckily, 1,874 of my closest friends and I found the solution. I compiled a list of 32 names that best fit the city of Cleveland and had the best ring to it, and I left it up to my Instagram followers to decide. Let’s take a look at each name and the reasoning behind it.
Note – Leaving the name as-is and the Tribe was excluded, as I assumed they would move away from all Native American imagery.
Buckeyes
- The Cleveland Buckeyes were a Negro League team that played from 1942-1950. In a time of racial unrest, honoring a team with only players of color would be cool.
Buzzards
- WMMS is a radio station in Cleveland, nicknamed as “The Home of the Buzzards.” Also, there is a reserve in the Cleveland Metroparks where buzzards return every May.
The Cleveland Baseball Club
- I know what you’re probably thinking. A generic team name similar to The Washington Football Team sounds terrible. But to be honest, this seriously has a ring to this. MLS teams go with football club following their city name a lot, and this could carry into the MLB.
Blue Sox/Blues
- Another generic name, but it sounds as good as the Red and White Sox. The Indians have been donning blue socks for a really long time. They could also drop the Sox and just go Blues, referring to the colors the colonies wore in the American Revolution, similar to the nearby Columbus Blue Jackets.
Canines
- The Canines could honor the Browns’ history with dog imagery and the Dawg Pound section behind the endzones. In the 80s, two guys in the stands would bark after good plays during every home game. This quickly caught on and the rest is history.
Carters
- Lorenzo Carter was the first permanent settler of Cleveland. I tried to find anything to honor Moses Cleaveland, who established and founded the city, but there’s pretty much nothing to use for a baseball team. Cleveland Moses just does not work. I’m sure people named Carter would be thrilled.
Cavalry
- This has very little to do with Cleveland. Having a duo of the Cavaliers and the Cavalry would be cool, albeit confusing if you just refer to them both as the Cavs.
Champions
- Surprisingly, due to major sports success from the late 40s well into the 60s, Cleveland was once called the “city of champions”. The Browns racked up 8 world championships while the Indians won their first and only world series in 1948. Shoutout to Mike Breen for his awesome call as the Cavs won it all in 2016, “Cleveland is a city of champions once again!”
Collars
- LeBron James absolutely said it best: In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given, everything is earned. For centuries Cleveland has been a city full of hard-working blue-collar citizens.
Throwing Blue Collars on there doesn’t sound bad either.
Coasters
- One of the city’s nicknames is “The North Coast”, as it sits in just under Lake Erie. Also, Cedar Point is just an hour west of Cleveland and has been known as “America’s Roller Coast” and the “Roller Coaster Capital of The World” for decades.
Commanders
- This name just mostly ties in with the next name I’m about to read you.
Commodores
- Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was a hero in the War of 1812. He secured a major victory in the Battle of Lake Erie, which took place not too far outside of Cleveland. There is a statue in his honor within the city.
Condors
- Doesn’t have much to do with the city, but you could make it a stretch and connect it to the aforementioned buzzards. Cleveland Condors just sounds pretty cool in general.
Coyotes
- Again, little connection to the city but it has a nice ring to it.
Crows
- On a hot streak of little connection but a nice ring. Alliteration for the team just feels right.
Cuyahoga(n)s
- The Cuyahoga River flows through Cleveland, and the city is also home to Cuyahoga National Park, the only National Park in the state.
Dobys
- Larry Doby broke the color barrier and became the first black player in the American League. Naming the team after this Hall of Famer would be cool.
Fellers
- There’s no doubt Bob Feller is the greatest pitcher in team history. That being said, this name is bad. Sorry, Bob.
Flames
- Online, I found the Cleveland Burning Rivers as a potential name choice. Not much charm there for me. I think Flames is a cool enough name to where people who aren’t aware of it are made uncomfortable by the fact that the Cuyahoga River literally caught fire in 1969.
Foresters
- You wouldn’t guess this, but one of Cleveland’s nicknames is “The Forest City”. I’m not sure why either.
Guardians
- 8 stone guardians of traffic stand strong over the Hope Memorial Bridge in the city. Each guardian represents a different form of transportation.
Hazards
- Relating back to Commodore Perry, whose middle name was Hazard. I wish that was my middle name.
Kryptonite
- Superman’s creator Jerry Siegel was from Cleveland. I also saw the Cleveland Supermen somewhere but I like this better.
Lakers
- No, not those Lakers. Cleveland is very proudly under Lake Erie, one of the 5 Great Lakes in the country. Great Lakers is also a potential name choice.
Midges
- Midges are a small fly-like insect that famously helped the Indians win a 2007 ALDS game against the Yankees. The midges swarmed the field, totally messing with pitcher Joba Chamberlain’s rhythm. The Indians went on to win 2-1.
Naps
- Nap Lajoie is an Indians legend and a Hall of Famer. For a few seasons, the team was also named in his honor. This would probably be confusing for anyone who doesn’t really know the history of the team.
Rockers
- Cleveland is known as the birthplace of rock n’ roll. Radio host Alan Freed coined the name during his show. The rock n’ roll hall of fame is just a stone’s throw away from FirstEnergy Stadium, where the Browns play.
Rocks/Rox
- Cleveland Rocks is an iconic song written by British rockstar Ian Hunter. He was impressed with how lively the city of Cleveland was and admired their deep love for rock n’ roll.
Seagulls
- Again, situated on Lake Erie, seagulls can be found all across the city, and even flying over the stadium.
Spiders
- This one seems to be a favorite. The Spiders were a former name of the team in the late 1800s. Rumors have flown around for years that this could possibly become the new name of the team.
Wild Things
- The nickname of Charlie Sheen’s character in the movie Major Leagues, which was about the Indians. Also references the song ‘Wild Thing’, a 1966 hit by The Troggs.
My Top Choices
- Rocks – Cleveland Rocks has a great flow to it. The song already plays after every win by a Cleveland team. It could also be stylized as Rox to match teams like the White and Red Sox. I understand we already have the Rockies, but there are the Reds and the Red Sox, so it’s fine. This is the perfect name in my opinion.
- Commodores – The history behind this name is very cool and very relevant to the city. Commodore Perry was also rumored to have broken up parts of the Atlantic Slave Trade, making him an all-inclusive true American hero. Cleveland Commodores has quite the ring, too.
- Baseball Club – Yes, this name is very generic and doesn’t stand out. But it works. Cleveland BC or CBC definitely has some charm.
- Guardians – This is a really cool and unique idea. I’ve seen some great concept logos and uniforms. It doesn’t have the same ring as some of the other names, but it fits the city great.
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Here’s how the bracket started. There was no seeding, but I placed the teams pretty much wherever with no specification. I originally had chosen Moses as a team name but swapped it to the Hope because that sounded a lot better, honestly.
After the first two rounds –
And it all came down to the Commodores vs. the Guardians.
The Commodores dominated their way through the bracket and ended up as the eventual champion.
All in all, this was a lot of fun. I’m sad most of my followers were inactive, but getting over a hundred votes per matchup was good enough to work with. Hopefully, the Indians see this and recognize that 114 teenagers think that the Commodores would be the best name choice.