Cleveland changing name from Indians to Guardians after 2021 season

Paul Dolan, CEO of the Cleveland Indians, sheds light on why the organization chose Guardians as their new team name.

Known as the Indians since 1915, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team will next be called the Guardians.

As the team moved closer to making a final decision on the name, team owner Paul Dolan said he found himself looking closely at the huge art deco sculptures.

But the process, which the team said included 140 hours of interviews with fans, community leaders, front-office personnel and a survey of 40,000 fans, quickly accelerated, and the club landed on Guardians.

The team did not reveal the names of any of the other finalists, but Brian Barren, Cleveland's president of business operations, said trademarking issues eliminated several potential candidates.

In the end, the team felt Guardians was a perfect fit.

"We think Guardians is unique and authentic to Cleveland,'' Barren said.