Jake Paul gives his take on hometown Cleveland's baseball team changing name from 'Indians' to 'Guardians'
Jake Paul weighed in on his hometown's Major League Baseball team, the Cleveland Indians, changing their name to the Cleveland Guardians.
Born in Cleveland and having grown up in Westlake, Ohio, Jake Paul and his brother Logan Paul have been lifelong supporters of the Cleveland Indians. 'The Problem Child' stated in his latest tweet that the name change would not make a difference for him, and the Cleveland team will continue to have his unwavering support.
"Been a fan of the CLEVELAND Indians and of course going to be just as big of a fan of the CLEVELAND Guardians… you can change the name but the ingredients are always going to be Cleveland," Jake Paul wrote.
The team has been carrying the name Cleveland Indians since 1915 but faced criticism in recent years for the moniker being racially offensive and discriminatory towards Native Americans.
The news was announced on Twitter on Friday in a video narrated by Academy Award-winning actor and team fan Tom Hanks.
The new logos for the Cleveland Guardians were released on social media as well.
In a statement on Major League Baseball's official website, the Cleveland Guardians revealed the importance and significance of the new name. 'Guardians' happens to be a reference to the city's iconic art-deco statues called Guardians of Traffic located on the Hope Memorial Bridge or the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge on the Cuyahoga River. They also mention that the name change was decided after surveying 40,000 fans, conducting 140 hours of interviews with community leaders, and involving 4,000 fans in research.
The long overdue change comes after years of protests by Native American activists and will be implemented after the 2021 season.
Jake Paul returns to Cleveland for Tyron Woodley fight
Jake Paul is set to face his next opponent, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, in Cleveland, Ohio, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on August 29. Paul recently released a YouTube video where the fans can see him return to his hometown for the fight and take a tour accompanied by his girlfriend, Julia Rose.
After landing in Cleveland, Jake Paul went looking for his childhood-favorite Superman ice cream and was visibly disappointed when he could not get his hands on one.
Fans can also catch a glimpse of one of Jake Paul's team members sporting a t-shirt with faces of Conor McGregor and Deontay Wilder graphic-printed on the body of two dogs walked by a man with the face of Jake Paul.