Former Cleveland Indians executive Mark Shapiro was "personally bothered" by the team's Chief Wahoo logo, but that the Indians' name was never an issue during his tenure in Cleveland, according to the Canadian Press.
Shapiro joined the Toronto Blue Jays as president after spending 24 seasons in Cleveland. Upon returning to his former home with the Blue Jays for the opening of the American League Championship Series, the longtime executive said, "No matter how many native American tribes we talked to," the Indians never had problems with the name of the team.
"The logo - Chief Wahoo - is one that was troubling to me personally," he added. "So when I was an official spokesman for the Cleveland Indians, I distanced myself from the fact that it personally bothered me. But we as an organization with strong support from ownership came up with the 'Block C' that you're wearing on your credentials right now. We built equity in the 'Block C.'
"We gave that alternative for people and I think that we established that as an important logo, and now the primary logo for the Cleveland Indians. And so I'm proud of that.
Shapiro also told reporters over 90 percent of people in Cleveland are "deeply, deeply passionate about Chief Wahoo," though the franchise demoted the smiling logo to secondary status this season, replacing it with the 'Block C' as the primary.
Toronto radio broadcaster Jerry Howarth made news this week when he said he hasn't said the name of Cleveland's mascot (nor Atlanta's) since 1992, when he received a letter from a Native American fan who wrote that names like the Indians and Braves are deeply offensive to his people.
Howarth, who has been the play-by-play man since 1981, confirmed in an interview Tuesday that he will avoid saying "Indians" on air during the ALCS.
