Cleveland Guardians are social media official as Indians era comes to close

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The long-anticipated “Changing of the Guard” has officially taken place on the Cleveland Guardians’ social media accounts.

As of early Friday, their Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube accounts bear a new name.

For fans holding on to the past, the Cleveland Indians Twitter is the lone reminder of their former title.

(The platform is known for removing verification upon a username change, so that’s a potential reason for the delay.)

It’s been a long time coming, with the New York Times breaking the news back in 2020 that the team planned to change their name.

Rumors swirled for months: Would they be the Guardians? Spiders? Rockers?

Fast forward to July 23, and we finally learned they would become the Cleveland Guardians.

Reactions varied. We saw support from Indigenous groups, a critical statement from a former president, and lots of online memes.

A point of confusion was the Hope Memorial Bridge, a passage between Cleveland’s West and East sides on Carnegie Avenue.

That’s where the Guardians of Traffic stand, watching over drivers as they travel on sometimes treacherous roads during Northeast Ohio winters.

“We heard this name often from our fans as a top contender because of it’s connection to the iconic Cleveland landmark - The Hope Memorial Bridge that stands just outside of our ballpark where the Guardians of Traffic have become a symbol of the city’s resiliency,” the team wrote on their website.

Friday marks a new era for Cleveland baseball fans; the team was known as the Indians for 106 years, since 1915.

For social media users who have long-followed the team accounts, no action is needed to maintain your connection.

If you’d like to have a look at their fresh brand, here are the new team usernames:

Facebook: @CLEGuardians

Instagram: cleguardians

Snapchat: cleguardians

YouTube: Cleveland Guardians

This is a developing story. Stick with 19 News for the latest updates on local sports.

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