Did MLB just hint at Cleveland’s new team name?

MLB might’ve tipped their hand at the Cleveland baseball team’s new team name, via the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.

A New York Times report late Sunday revealed that the “Cleveland Indians” moniker would be no more. That was confirmed on Monday afternoon by team owner Paul Dolan, who said that the organization would part ways with the team name after 105 years following discussions with Native American groups. However, the change won’t take place until after the 2021 season at the earliest.

Some names that have been floated around are the Cleveland Spiders and the Rockers. However, the MLB might’ve tipped their hand on the team’s newest nickname. That name is the “Cleveland Citizens,” which appears to be registered by the league in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Citizens a potential name for the Cleveland baseball team

When looking at the name, the trademark was filed on Aug. 17, 2020. While the league appears to have filed the trademark, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will ultimately be the new name. Rather, it would be more of a move to prevent someone else from filling out an application at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, so the league won’t have to negotiate a deal.

Momentum for Cleveland changing their name arrived after the Washington Football Team distanced themselves from their former insensitive moniker back in July. The Football Team name was initially used as a placeholder, but team president Jason Wright told ESPN that it was in the running to become the permanent name.

On Opening Day for the 2020 season, the Cleveland baseball team wore their navy blue road jerseys which had the city name on the front to support the name change.

Creating a new name for a sports team does take time, because they have to file trademarks for the name and the logo. It’s a lengthy process, but Dolan confirmed that they’re heading in the right direction and moving on from their previous moniker.