Lost in the never-ending "should they or shouldn't they" discussions relating to Dan Snyder's NFL team is the existence of a mascot just as offensive – Cleveland's Chief Wahoo. Cleveland has tried to distance itself from the Chief in recent years, and his retirement may come sooner rather than later after the Cleveland Plain Dealer posted an editorial calling for the logo to be discontinued.
The points raised in the editorial are valid, and the Indians have slowly begun to take steps to excise the logo. Starting in 2014, Cleveland's primary logo will switch from Chief Wahoo, which has existed in some form since 1947, to the block C, which was introduced as an alternate logo in 2008.
But the promotion of the block C doesn't mean that Chief Wahoo is completely gone. The Chief still remains on caps, and was worn by the team in their yearly Photo Day shoot this year. It's plastered all over items in the team's official store. The logo isn't going to disappear tomorrow.
Unlike Dan Snyder, who continues to essentially belittle and demean anyone who has a problem with his football team, Cleveland's ownership has been much more quiet about their mascot, especially in recent years as criticism over Snyder has been growing louder and louder.
It seems like it's only a matter of time before a change happens in Cleveland. Maybe this editorial will push the process a little faster. Maybe it will result in vociferous arguments both in favor and opposed to the mascot. But one thing is for sure – when the largest newspaper in the state of Ohio calls for a logo to disappear, the debate isn't going to disappear.
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About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.