It has long been suspected that Chief Wahoo, the controversial Cleveland Indians logo, is not long for this world.

It’s not a question of if the logo should be retired, but of when.

Conversations about the Cleveland Indians team name and logo spread across the country in 2016 as the Indians advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1997. Those conversations, while sometimes painful and frustrating for local fans, are important ones to have.

Scene’s aim in hosting this Redesign the Tribe competition was to foster ongoing conversation, and to keep the momentum for a name/logo change marching onward. The 40 mockups included represent about one third of the total submissions. Our staff panel whittled down the list by removing incomplete submissions, hand-drawn submissions, and submissions intended largely as jokes. What’s left are the semi-finalists for your consideration. Some have additional explanations or visuals; do check out the link directly below the submission for those.

Otherwise: Vote for your five favorites before January 10, 2017. (Contest page here.) The top 10 will then be submitted to a panel of experts. The top three from there will win prizes and fame and, most likely, some angry comments on the internet from the pro-Wahoo crowd. Either way, enjoy.

This article appears in Dec 28, 2016 – Jan 3, 2017.

Scene's award-winning newsroom oftentimes collaborates on articles and projects. Stories under this byline are group efforts.

13 replies on “Vote Now: The 40 Semi-finalists in Scene’s Redesign the Indians Contest”

  2. Here’s a good one….LEAVE IT ALONE!!!! How about we put the wahoo logo on their and vote as well? Afraid the majority would pick the existing logo? And you would have to move on? Maybe to the Blackhawks or the Braves

  3. Some worthy submissions here, but not for an MLB team. For some minor-league organization in Triple-A, yeah, but for the majors? Not so much.

    Face it, guys…not gonna happen. Even the winning entry has about as much chance of being seriously considered (let alone adopted) as an ice-cream cone has of lasting through a day in July. No matter how much and how long you try to “foster ongoing conversation” and “keep the momentum for a name/logo change marching onward.” Yeah, right…whatever, dudes…

    It’s all about generating a buzz and clickbait with yet another ride on the “ten-per-center” bandwagon, and continuing to beat this dead horse into dog food and glue.

    Ninety percent are happy with what we have and have had for a century now, and that does not make automatically them racists.

    But what the HAY…whatever gets you folks through these long cold winter nights…

    Chuckles the Clown

  4. We hear this BS every year, really the Cleveland Phoenix, the Cleveland Aliens, the Cleveland Jam. MFP, Keep the Chief, he’s not hurting anyone. Go after the Braves and Chiefs with their racist tomahawk chops. Chief Wahoo STAYS. Political correctness is over, suck it up sunshine

  5. This is a most unique opportunity to partake in advocating for a brighter emblem for our fair city, Cleveland.

  7. I agree that this is largely a publicity stunt to advance The Scenes’ sanctimonious Chief Wahoo campaign. But, that said, the Cleveland Guardians logo is pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, I’m on team “Keep the Chief” – 100%. But if that day ever comes, I vote Guardians.

  8. The logo needs changed. The name isn’t offensive. You are muddying the message. The Braves, Chiefs, and, Blackhawks are all relatively respectful. Wahoo is a racist charicature. Deal with it. Own it. If you like it. Admit you have no concern for the feelings of native Americans.

  9. There is not one worth voting for. And why are most of them involving a name change? I like the idea of incorporating the rock hall somehow. I really hate the “C” It is so boring. What about CLE with some kind of respectful Indian face incorporated into the CLE?

  12. Spoke with someone in the front office. They have no plans to get rid of the name or logo in the future. So suck on that. Guess it’s time to move on to another team

  13. I think we should keep the Indian’s logo however I did think of some others. How about the Cleveland Crackers (the logo can be a white guy in a top hat eating a hot dog made with pork so you know he’s American) Cleveland White Privilege (logo is Zack Moores with his arms around some btches), Cleveland Coons (logo of Samboo), Cleveland Wetbacks (logo of Speedy Gonzalez), Cleveland Slant Eyes (logo of Chinese or Japanese person in coke bottle glasses), or the are a lot of decentents of Irish here so how about Cleveland Drunks (logo of a Leprecon or drunk white male peeing in a ally). I could go on but I’m going to stay with Wahoo something about it makes me feel right.

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