Cleveland Indians message about his name 0:34
(CNN) -
The Cleveland, Ohio Major League team will remove "Indians" from its name, according to a New York Times report later confirmed by other media outlets.
The team declined to comment on the situation, but said it did not question the newspaper's report, which cites sources familiar with the decision.
Major League Baseball has not responded to CNN's request for comment.
The decision to change the team's name could be announced as early as this week, the newspaper reported.
The name "Indians" dates back to 1915, when it was chosen by the team and a group of baseball newspaper editors.
Although its exact origin is unclear, the name was based in part on the contemporary success of the Boston Braves, who won the 1914 World Series, as well as Louis Sockalexis, a former Native American baseball star in Cleveland who died. in 1913, according to Cleveland magazine.
Cleveland previously removed its "Chief Wahoo" logo, a racist cartoon of a Native American character, from its team uniforms after the 2018 season.
Cleveland Indians to remove Indian chief logo from uniforms
'Time to move on'
"I think it's time to move on," Terry Francona, the Cleveland baseball team manager, said in July when discussing the team's name.
«It is a very difficult subject.
It is also delicate.
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Cleveland's name change comes at a time when the United States is coming to terms with its racist past.
A summer of protests over the deaths of black citizens at the hands of the police has prompted professional sports teams, businesses and even schools to reconsider racist branding, images and memorabilia.
Sports teams with Native American-based names, including the MLB's Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves, and the NFL's Washington Redskins and Kansas City Chiefs, face pressure to reexamine their names as Americans grapple more directly with issues of racism. .
Washington Redskins announce they will retire team name and logo
The Washington NFL team, formerly the Redskins, ditched its name in July and is now the Washington Football Team.
CNN's Jacob Lev and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
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