The closing of the 2021 MLB season featured a momentous change in regards to baseball’s connection to Native American culture.
In early November, Cleveland removed the Indians team name from Progressive Field. The organization had kept the name for over a century before making the switch to Guardians at the conclusion of the 2021 World Series.
The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros in that series, which served as a stark reminder of the sport’s usage of Native American imagery. The controversial “tomahawk chop” echoed throughout Atlanta’s home ballpark for Games 3-5 and was a topic of conversation that drew both protests and defense.