I know everyone is somewhat sick of hearing name change ideas, and the likelihood of a name change movement catching on from a fan post on this blog is somewhere below the likelihood we actually see MLB play a World Series this year, but hear me out - I've got a name idea that would reference important history for the city, incorporate a genuine American myth, and provide plentiful marketing and branding opportunities.
We should call the team "the Cleveland Capes."
In 1933, two Jewish teenagers, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, invented Superman while attending Glenville High School together. "One of the reasons for the early success of Superman was how Jerry wrote about real issues that affected everyday people. They included a lot of things that had happened in Ohio’s history such as the mine accident in Athens, Ohio on November 5, 1930. As time passed they started to include stories of Superman fighting off anti-Semitic people. With Hitler’s rise in Europe with his anti-Semitic words and the negative stereotypes of Jewish people, pushed Siegel and Shuster to make a hero that defended the weak. They often would portray Superman protecting the weak and those who were mistreated. He was a hero the world needed as World War II began in Europe. Shuster and Siegel worked hard to tell stories of hope that would cheer people on as things looked hopeless, even as they struggled to keep the rights to create those stories."
Learn more about the creation of Superman here.
Now, obviously, the organization is not going to be using Superman as their actual logo... however, the team can easily create logos featuring generic heroes with capes holding bats, pitching, leaping at the wall to catch fly balls, etc. For kids, the team can add an animal - maybe a locally common one like a coyote or crane or even a walleye with a cape - to the mascot fold with Slider and sell a ton of kids' items and plush toys. Additionally, the team can sell all kinds of capes for fans to wear, which will be a unique and fun look for the fan base.
Capes is a gender neutral term, so the team can even make a women heroine one of their alternate logos, anticipating the hopefully near future when we see a woman make the majors (likely as a submarine-style relief pitcher). Capes is also nicely alliterative with Cleveland, and fits in nicely with the chant "Let's Go Capes!" Also, from my internet searches, it doesn't seem there are any professional or college-level teams with the name "Capes," so copyright issues should not be a big concern.
I have heard people say that superheroes feel trite or over-played. I understand those concerns, but I think 90 years from Superman's creation, he is firmly established as an American myth, originating in Cleveland. The general idea of human beings with superpowers is firmly embedded in the cultural consciousness, and, currently, there is not a professional team that is effectively tapping into this myth and the money inherent in it. Additionally, capes are connected to a variety of characters - vampires, Lando Calrissian, villains, wizards, etc - and can make for fun theme nights and crossover events. Before people say, "That's Minor League stuff," we need to face the facts that MLB teams need to do a little work to get people in the park. With all the competition for fan dollars, some extra incentive to get new demographics to enter the park - from comic book geeks, to theater nerds, to families whose kids love all the stories and heroes who involve capes - is a really good thing. I believe this is an opportunity to reach new people, reference an important part of the city's history, and tap into an established cultural myth.
Let's Go Capes! Let's Go Capes!
*I want to give a special shout-out to my friend, Sean Eppler, who is the first person I saw suggest "the Capes."
