Chief Wahoo continued his streak of making Cleveland look like a bunch of insensitive jerks this weekend when the Major League Baseball online store removed the Cleveland Indians' Jackie Robinson Day commemorative caps. For the last several years, the league has celebrated Jackie Robinson Day by placing a special marker of Robinson's number 42 on all caps and uniforms.
Given that Chief Wahoo is wildly racially insensitive, embellishing a cap celebrating the baseball player that broke the color barrier next to an outrageous caricature of Native American people is at best, completely tone-deaf.
The League pulled the cap realizing it was a mistake and had somehow slipped through the cracks. It seems to me that Manfred isn't doing everything he can to prove his claim that "Major League Baseball is committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the game," as he stated during the announcement of Chief Wahoo's removal for 2019.
Many baseball fans have issues with Jackie Robinson day in general, viewing it as a way for the League to profit off of Robinson's legacy without having to actually address the systemic racism within baseball. Given that the league is already beginning to phase out Wahoo, the fact his racist red face was chosen for the Jackie Robinson commemorative cap rather than the far more acceptable Block "C" is a head-scratcher.
The Indians currently only have commemorative jerseys available for purchase, no Wahoo in sight. This is a change from yesterday when Wahoo jerseys were at the time still available.
Nothing says Jackie Robinson Day like selling racism with the number 42 on it. Great job, MLB. pic.twitter.com/iWiDIV5QfL
— Nick Stellini (@StelliniTweets) April 15, 2018
EDIT: This article previously attributed comments to Commissioner Manfred regarding the cap and pulling it that have now been correctly attributed to The League.
