There have been lots of tweaks and changes to MLB logos through the years, some of which have prompted teams to change up their entire identity to avoid offending people. But there's one old logo that New York Mets color commentator Keith Hernandez still looks back fondly on.
During a recent game between the Mets and the Cleveland Guardians, Hernandez spoke about the Guardians' old "Chief Wahoo" logo when they were known as the Indians. But he had more to say about the Atlanta Braves' old "screaming Indian logo" from the 1950s (when they played in Milwaukee) through the 1980s.
“Do you remember the old logo back in the ’50s and early ‘60s of the Milwaukee Braves? The screaming Indian?” Hernandez asked. “That was a great logo.”
Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen wasn't as fond of the old Braves logo as Hernandez was and tried to steer the conversation away a bit.
"Well, some people might not think so," Cohen replied.
The Mets recorded a double-play off a Steven Kwan hit, allowing Cohen to shift the conversation back to the game, but Hernandez seemed to want to keep talking about the Braves logo.
“Saves us from that awkward conversation,” Cohen remarked.
“Oh, it’s not awkward at all,” Hernandez replied. “It’s good conversation!”
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Changes
There have been efforts to try and get the old logo onto some Atlanta Braves gear in recent years, but the team has not indulged it.
Major League Baseball and other sports leagues including the NFL have also tried to distance themselves from names and imagery that may be considered offensive, particularly to Native Americans. The Indians became the Guardians in 2021 and the Washington Redskins gave up their nickname in 2020 and are now the Commanders.
These changes haven't been without pushback though. Just last summer, President Donald Trump threatened to stall the Commanders' new stadium deal if they didn't revert to the former name. That effort seems to have failed with the groundbreaking on the new stadium slated for next year.
