The Cleveland Indians have removed the Chief Wahoo logo from the sleeve of their uniforms for a four-game series in Toronto.
The decision to nix the logo was partially driven by a failed legal challenge against the team when it played in Toronto during the 2016 AL Championship Series. While Cleveland played the Blue Jays, a lawsuit was filed to have the logo and team name banned from Canadian TV. A judge dismissed the case.
The Indians have said they will permanently remove the logo from their uniforms next season. The move came after decades of protests and complaints that the grinning, red-faced caricature that dates to 1947 is racist. Cleveland will host the All-Star Game next season.
In recent years, the team has slowly moved away from the cartoonish image of a big-toothed American Indian with a scarlet face and a single feather in his headdress. The Indians now use a “C? as their primary logo and have removed signs depicting Chief Wahoo from their home stadium.
The Indians will return to their regular uniforms when they play at Tampa Bay next week.
