The Cleveland Indians have a new name, and they’ve brought in some big people to announce it.
The speech and music for the reveal of ‘Guardians,’ Cleveland’s replacement for ‘Indians,’ were provided by Tom Hanks and The Black Keys. For those who don’t know (which is probably a lot of people), Tom Hanks began his acting career in Cleveland, and The Black Keys hail from Akron, which is about a 45-minute drive from Cleveland and home to the Rubber Ducks, Cleveland’s Double-A club. Patrick Carney, the band’s drummer, also filled in for John Adams, who was out due to heart surgery, at this year’s home opener. Since 1973, Adams has been drumming while Cleveland is at bat in every home game.
For the name change, the squad also debuted new logos and wordmarks. The alterations aren’t substantial, with the color scheme remaining the same and the writing having a small edge over earlier models. Overall, it’s a rather straightforward adjustment from what they had before.
The name of the Guardians stems from the ‘Guardians of Traffic’ statues that were installed during the Great Depression atop the Hope Memorial Bridge in downtown Cleveland. The statues can be seen from the stadium and are just a short distance away.
