Honor to Native Americans
When I was young (70 some years ago; I grew up in Geauga County after World War II, graduating from Chardon High School in 1957), we played cowboys and Indians with no disrespect to either contingency (note that Indian starts with a capital “I”). Believe I preferred to be on the side of wild freedom that the Indians tried to protect!
As I look across Northeast Ohio, I see mostly Indian geographical names: Geauga, Cuyahoga, etc. What bothers me most is that when any sports team takes on a name it is an honor to that named group. That was the positive influence I grew up with, rooting for the Indians and not the Damn Yankees.
By backing off the 100-plus year tradition of rooting for and being a Cleveland Indians fan, which has influenced countless young men in a positive way will, in the long run, be counterproductive to race relationships.
Take pride in what you do and what you say.
Bill Lytle
Kentucky
