According to ABC Los Angeles, Major League Baseball team the Cleveland Indians will remove their logo, which features a Native American caricature known as Chief Wahoo, from game uniforms in 2019. The logo, which was created in 1947, has been the source of decades-long contention.

"Major League Baseball is committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the game," said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement. "Over the past year, we encouraged dialogue with the Indians organization about the club's use of the Chief Wahoo logo. During our constructive conversations, [team owner] Paul Dolan made clear that there are fans who have a longstanding attachment to the logo and its place in the history of the team."

Fans of the image and the team's name cite tradition when defending the logo and name. Critics, however, say that both are racist and highly offensive.

In 2016, the Cleveland Indians made the World Series, which put a special spotlight on the team's name and its mascot. Facing criticsm then, Manfred said that he wanted to eliminate the symbol, and debate grew more intense when it was announced that Cleveland had won the bid to host the 2019 All-Star Game.

Manfred said that he understood that many fans have fond memories of the mascot and are emotionally attached to it. "Nonetheless, the club ultimately agreed with my position that the logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball, and I appreciate Mr. Dolan's acknowledgement that removing it from the on-field uniform by the start of the 2019 season is the right course," Manfred said.

Photo: GIPHY

Even before this decision, the Indians had been slowly transitioning away from Chief Wahoo in recent years; the team started by introducing a block "C" insignia on the some of the its caps.

"We have consistently maintained that we are cognizant and sensitive to both sides of the discussion," Dolan said. "While we recognize many of our fans have a long-standing attachment to Chief Wahoo, I'm ultimately in agreement with Commissioner Manfred's desire to remove the logo from our uniforms in 2019."

Chief Wahoo

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week