The Cleveland Indians should be renamed the Cleveland Commodores in memory of Commodore Oliver Perry’s victory in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. The Cleveland area has a strong sense of regional pride that is already shown in Progressive Field’s use of furnishings from Cleveland-based Rustbelt Reclamation and the featuring of local breweries at “The Corner.” (Incidentally, I pitched featuring rotating local breweries there at a focus group prior to The Corner opening.)
Using the name “Commodores” evokes a sense of history and pride for the Lake Erie region that will be relatable to the fan base. As the only MLB team of a city on Lake Erie (shut it, Detroit, you’re on a river and you know it), the Indians, in taking the name “Commodores,” and the associated implication that Cleveland is a Lake Erie regional team, will make it easier for fans throughout the area to associate themselves with Cleveland baseball.
As a new, tech-oriented economy takes root in Cleveland, and we emerge from the pandemic just as we emerged from the Rust Belt collapse, it’s important to recall the history that helps make the Lake Erie region so special.
Jairaj Ranchod,
Shaker Heights