Baseball team goes by 'Indians'

MILAN — After one prominent baseball team dropped its Indians insignia for 2022, another hardball squad actually adopted the name for this year — with coaches and parents insisting it pays homage to local history. The Milan 8U, shorthand for kids 8 and under, team registered for Huron Parks and Recreation's fall baseball league officially goes by "Edison." It's the name recognized by league organizers. But, unofficially, coaches, players and parents call them the "Milan Indians." The team, which neither features the name "Indians" nor any Native American logos anywhere on its uniforms, played its first game this past weekend. "When we talked about putting a team together, and knowing this team was from Milan, we didn't want to go by 'Edison' because it wasn't affiliated with the school," said Stefan Taylor, the team's assistant coach. His son, Luka, plays on the team. "And because we are from Milan and having all of our practices out here, why not throw it back to the old days and call ourselves the 'Indians,' which is a nod to the old school here?" Taylor said. More on Milan's history Prior to Edison High School's establishment in September 1968, Milan and Berlin Heights operated as separate high schools. Today a majority of children living in those villages and surrounding townships attend Edison High School. "The last year that Milan and Berlin were individual school districts was 1967-68," according to Rebecca Daneker, the Milan Public Library's local historian. "Before that, Milan had been the Indians, and Berlin had been the Tigers. And when they became Edison, that's when they became the Chargers." Don Gfell, a lifelong village resident, graduated from Milan High School in 1960. He also taught at the district and served as Edison's superintendent. "They were the Indians from the beginning of Milan Schools, around the early 1900s, until 1968, when the consolidation between Milan and Berlin Heights occurred to become Edison," Gfell said. The Milan Indians experienced much success as a high school team, Gfell said. For instance, the Milan Indians won three Firelands Conference football championships in 1964, 1966 and 1967. It also took home the conference's boys basketball title in 1967-68. Gfell added some more context on football: "In both 1966 and 1967, the football team went 9-0, and the school won its last 19 games as the Indians before the merger occurred." Phasing out 'Indians' During the past few years, many sports teams, be it amateur or professional, have eliminated Native American mascots, logos and team names associated with their respective squads. Most notably, this past year, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team removed its Indians moniker. Cleveland called itself the Indians from 1915 to 2021. Upon starting the 2022 season, Cleveland became known as the Guardians. Furthermore in 2018, when still known as the Indians, Cleveland's franchise retired the Chief Wahoo emblem. For decades, both the nickname and related logo drew criticism from many groups, including Native Americans. Cleveland's organization, it said, changed this name to foster unity and social justice. In other words, team owner Paul Dolan — who came to the decision after speaking with groups and stakeholders — wanted to unite and not divide a community. Meanwhile, at the high school level, dozens of schools in recent times removed indigenous mascots. Two in the Register's coverage area — Bellevue's Redmen and Port Clinton's Redskins — have remained adamant about keeping those names, which many call racially insensitive and wrongly emphasize stereotypes. Striking a balance When Milan's 8U team leaders first brought up the idea of calling themselves the "Indians," effectively bucking a trend, they knew it needed to be in good taste. Like Dolan, Taylor and others associated with this youth team — including fellow coaches Noah McMinn and Nick Schnittker — surveyed the community. They wanted to gauge the overall temperature to see if anyone would take umbrage or oppose such a nickname before adopting it. All three said they received universal backing from those asked about naming the team "Indians." This included support from the team's primary sponsor, Smetzer Kitchen & Appliance. "They thought it was a cool idea," Taylor said. All involved in the decision-making process, however, agreed to some stipulations: • The word "Indians" isn't visible on any part of the uniform. • There are no depictions of Native American logos — like red faces, headdresses or other symbols, such as a tomahawk or bow and arrow — anywhere. The jersey tops read "Milan." And the hats feature an interlocking "M" and "I" to represent "Milan Indians." "That was a deliberate decision," Taylor said about not using any sort of Indians-related logos. Taylor then wanted the community to grasp one message in particular. "I can understand why Cleveland changed its name," said Taylor, a lifelong Cleveland Indians/Guardians fan. "But our name, the 'Milan Indians' is about our history in remembering and respecting it. It's more about paying homage to our local history than it is a slight on Native Americans."