The Cleveland Indians will soon be known as the Cleveland Guardians. Announcing the impending name change with a video narrated by Tom Hanks Friday morning, the MLB team crept closer to ending the saga of altering a franchise identity that has long offended many Native Americans.

After announcing an intention to change the name in December 2020, the team is still using its name through 2021. The new moniker is inspired by the "Guardians of Traffic" sculptures on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge. They are visible in the introduction to the famed movie "Major League."

Local media had recently deemed Guardians a "trendy" pick for the name. The other favorites included Spiders and Rockers.

Tracking with the Washington Football Team

Cleveland's name change had mostly followed in the footsteps of the NFL's own long-awaited swap, aside from Cleveland's decision to keep using the offensive name instead of a temporary replacement.

Washington team president Jason Wright told The Washington Post earlier this month that the team would unveil its new name and logo in early 2022. Like Cleveland, Washington has been sorting through potential nicknames since announcing its plans, with no shortage of candidates. They reportedly considered nearly 1,200 options.

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