It's going, going, gone!
Add Major League Baseball (MLB) to the list of professional sports leagues that capitulate to the perpetually offended.
In an announcement by the MLB on Monday, beginning in 2019 the Cleveland Indians will no display their longtime logo of cartoonish indigenous character, "Chief Wahoo."
According to Fox 5 - D.C.:
After lengthy discussions between team owner Paul Dolan and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, the Indians are taking the extraordinary step of shelving the big-toothed, smiling, red-faced caricature, which has been used in used in various expressions by the team since 1947.
However, the American League team will continue to wear the Wahoo logo on its uniform sleeves and caps in 2018, and the club will still sell merchandise featuring the mascot in Northeast Ohio. The team must maintain a retail presence so that MLB and the Indians can keep ownership of the trademark.
The history of "Chief Wahoo" dates back to 1947 before the caricature even carried the name.
Here's a brief history of "Chief Wahoo":
Manfred released a statement along with the news of the removal of Chief Wahoo that says, in part:
Over the past year, we encouraged dialogue with the Indians organization about the club's use of the Chief Wahoo logo. During our constructive conversations, Paul Dolan made clear that there are fans who have a longstanding attachment to the logo and its place in the history of the team.
Nonetheless, the club 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 acknowledgement that removing it from the on-field uniform by the start of the 2019 season is the right course.
Unlike Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder remaining defiant in the face of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's pressure to lose the Redskins name -- when Manfred said "jump" -- Dolan asked, "How high?"
Just as we saw with the Confederate statue debacle, history has no place in a progressive society.