CLEVELAND — When the Cleveland Indians announced on Friday that the franchise's name would be changing to the Guardians following the 2021 season, plenty of people looked for symbolism in the new images and word marks that the team released. The obvious connection is that the nickname is derived from the Guardians of Traffic statues on the Hope Memorial Bridge less than a half-mile from Progressive Field.
However, another logo that was released by the team invokes a connection to the franchise's fictional history.
The new secondary logo for the team features a baseball sporting the new "Winged G" logo that appears to be flying through the air. Does that look at least a little bit familiar? Well, if you’re a fan of the 1989 comedy classic ‘Major League’ about a group of ragtag has-beens and never-will-bes playing on the shore of Lake Erie, then it might ring a bell.
That logo looks similar to an image on the movie’s poster. The baseball is the most striking similarity, obviously, but that one features a mohawk and feathers while it flies through the air wearing a pair of sunglasses. It’s not entirely a rip-off, but there’s definitely a similar look, vibe and energy between them.
If you add the sunglasses to the new logo, as one user did on Twitter, then the similarities look a bit more uncanny.
@UniWatch Major League homage? pic.twitter.com/LjtvPApYaf
— Brian Chesnick (@bchesnick19) July 23, 2021
The name change is new and will take some getting used to, but this nod to the team's Hollywood past may at least invoke some nostalgia for fans of the team and the movie.
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