Former MLB player Jim Edmonds sparks controversy with comments on Guardians’, Commanders’ name changes

Former MLB player Jim Edmonds was caught within the crossfire of followers on social media Thursday night time when, throughout a stay broadcast of a St. Louis Cardinals sport, he mentioned he was “shocked” that groups have opted to vary their names, referencing the Cleveland Guardians and the Washington Commanders.

Edmonds, 53, was within the sales space for the Cardinals’ sport towards the Houston Astros when, within the backside of the seventh inning, he shared messages he has obtained on social media from followers over the current push for groups to vary their names for having Native American monikers.

” what’s actually humorous is when individuals attain out to you and say ‘Hey I’m from this space, and we actually love our baseball right here.’ And anyone else will say, ‘Yeah, I want that they had the previous names that they used to have.’ It’s simply humorous to listen to everybody’s opinion,” the Cardinals legend mentioned.

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“I’m nonetheless shocked that we’ve modified a lot as an entire that [we’re] not allowed to have the Cleveland Indians anymore — the Guardians. And I’m saying that too as a result of my spouse is partial Native American Indian.

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“I all the time thought it was type of a cool factor, not a foul factor, to have a workforce named after the Indians or vice versa, no matter, the Washington Redskins.”

Whereas some got here to Edmonds’ protection for sharing his opinion, many referred to as out his feedback as problematic.

Jim Edmonds rounds third base throughout a sport towards the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium in St. Louis Could 13, 2006. (G. N. Lowrance/Getty Photos)

“Perhaps this lastly will get Jim Edmonds off Cardinals video games,” one person tweeted at Bally Sports activities Midwest.

One other particular person referred to as him a “horrible rent” and a “rubbish human being.”

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The Commanders retired their former identify in July 2020 after a long time of complaints that it was insensitive to Native Individuals. Eighteen months later, Washington’s new id was revealed.

A piece of stadium seats with the Washington Commanders brand earlier than a sport between the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Browns at FedEx Subject Jan. 1, 2023, in Landover, Md. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Photos)

“As a company, we’re excited to rally and rise collectively as one underneath our new id whereas paying homage to our native roots and what it means to characterize the nation’s capital,” former co-owner Dan Snyder mentioned in an announcement on the time.

Cleveland adopted go well with in July 2021, altering its identify for the primary time since 1915 to the Guardians.