The Cleveland baseball and Washington football teams are both embarking on the daunting tasks of renaming their historic sports franchises. After years of backlash against racially insensitive names and mascots, both teams have a chance to start fresh with new identities. But though their name changes were announced in 2020, neither franchise will implement its […]
We start with some MLB news. It was announced on Sunday that the Cleveland baseball franchise will replace its current team name of the Indians for something else after the 2021 season. This news isn’t unexpected; Cleveland had become the most egregious case of a professional team appropriating Native American imagery and stereotypes after the […]
In the summer of 2020, public tolerance for companies advertising with racist images was at an all-time low. Brands including Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth’s and Uncle Ben’s all announced plans to change their product imagery and in some cases even their names in reaction to widespread public protests against anti-Black racism. The world of sports […]
Starting pitching tactics in baseball’s postseason, which starts today, often differ from those of the regular season. Because of the off days needed for travel between cities in a playoff series, pitchers typically enjoy more rest. That allows teams to lean on their best pitchers more than they can in the regular season. For instance, […]
The Cleveland Indians’ pitching has been excellent early this season. Entering play Monday, Cleveland’s starters led the majors in WAR (5.20), according to data from Baseball-Reference.com, and in ERA (2.96). But beyond the rotation’s strong showing, what’s noteworthy is how the majority of the group’s best performers were acquired: in the same draft class. In […]