The Indians announced Thursday that they’ve reached an agreement with the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio on a “collaboration for the future preservation and enhancement of Progressive Field.” The agreement will include facility upgrades for the stadium itself and, most notably, extend the team’s lease at the ballpark for “at least 15 years to 2036.” The agreement also comes with “the potential for 10 additional years to 2046.” The city and county councils still need to approve the project within the coming months, but it doesn’t seem there’s much doubt they’ll both do so.
“Our organization is proud to continue our long-term commitment to Cleveland by ensuring we keep our ballpark competitive,” owner Paul Dolan said in this morning’s press release. “We want to give our fans, our community, and our players the best ballpark experience possible. We are excited and appreciate the collaborative effort displayed by leadership from the county, city, and state to help make this first step possible and look forward to the next stages in the legislative process to finalize the agreement.”
Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports that the collaboration calls for $435MM worth of renovations, funded by an undisclosed division of expenses among the city, county, state and team. The press release stresses that the government funding involves no new or increased taxes to residents.
Today’s announcement confirms the longstanding expectation the organization will stay in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. While the current lease is set to expire after the 2023 season, Zack Meisel, Jason Lloyd and Bill Shea of the Athletic wrote last month that a lease extension looked likely. The Indians have played at Progressive Field since 1994, making it the tenth-longest tenured active team-ballpark pairing in MLB.
The franchise has been in Cleveland since 1901. Only the Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, Pirates and Phillies have been in their current city for a longer time. Beginning in 2022, the organization is adopting the “Guardians” moniker in homage to the “Guardians of Traffic” statues on Cleveland’s Hope Memorial Bridge.
Only fitting the Guardians would play in Progressive Field
Cleveland stole there name from the fubon guardians of Taiwan baseball!!!
Oh come on guys … we all know they should rename the stadium “Galaxy Field”.
By 2036 we will have reached the “nobody wins, nobody loses, & everyone gets a trophy. After all we can’t be allowed to hurt anyone’s feelings – that’s progressive for you.
@ Njbirdsfan
Three things:
1. Capitalism has been proven to be the best possible system for a society of free people who work. That is why the United States in a very short period of time (relative to recorded history) is the world’s leader. And we will continue to be even if most politicians and the LeBrons of the world are scared too stand up and point out the horrific things China does on a daily.
2. The only reason small business have failed is due to unwarranted non-scientific mandated authoritarian lockdowns.
3. Why would you ever call someone “little boy”? That just shows that you are rude and disrespectful for no reason. Im a thick skinned guy, but really? I hope they remove your post and your account.
Go Phils.
False. A mixed economy between capitalism and socialism, where the money is properly allocated, is the best system.
Curly – The average age of baseball fans is what like 70. By 2036 all the fans will be dead, and so will baseball.
@MatthewLVT17
Just saying false doesn’t make it true. Capitalism has proven to uplift the average citizen who has an idea and the desire to see it through. A government can have assistance programs to help those in need, however any type of socialism always leads to citizens becoming fully dependent on government government subsidies and welfare programs. Controlling the flow of goods and the amount of cash flow within the system (government printing money and giving it away) will lead to a depressed value of the currency which will lead to a depression.
No, they stole it from the Cleveland Guardians, the men’s professional roller derby team. For reals.
I would have gone with the Rockers.
After all, Cleveland is the home of Rock and Roll.
They really should have went with spiders. Guardians is just lame. And the logo isn’t very inspiring.
Should we explore the name of your favorite team next? (;) Just giving ya a hard time. I was a fan of Spiders as well, though I think Guardians will be fine and it does have a LOT of history and attachment with people in Cleveland which is key.)
In my opinion, ownership’s stated focus on the city while choosing the new name is disrespectful to those Tribe fans that have never lived in Cleveland, or even Ohio, who became fans of THE INDIANS while rooting from afar. Lots of them came onboard back in the 90’s when they were one of the most exciting franchises ever.
This way of thinking, in focusing so much on CLEVELAND, seems like an odd way to expand their footprint elsewhere. I was born and raised in NE Ohio, but this line of thinking irritates me.
I’m still undecided whether or not I will continue to root for them after the name changes. I know one thing. If I do decide to remain a fan of the team, I will never wear anything with that stupid new name.
@sufferfortribe 2 I realize you may have hurt feelings about the name and how attached you were to the “Indians” name. But we all have to be respectful of each other’s feelings and make proper changes. It’s ok to feel the way you do, but let daddy treat you to a ice cream cone and a special trophy.
Just calm down dude, I’d understand if the “Guardians” moved out of Cleveland and being upset. But sheez, it’s just a name. Support your team and buy a Jersey with your favorite players name on the back. Or even get your own name on the back of one. Buy a hot dog or two and cheer on those boys and wear that jersey with Pride.
The name is a slur
Stop living in the past and embrace progress
Progress is a strong words coming from username…deeznuts.
The problem is you are not being respectful to Native Americans.
They don’t care about the name. Progressive Woke people care about the name and no one has to be respectful of their feelings especially when they don’t respect other people’s feelings.
About ten feet beyond my back yard fence is an Indian Colony. Yes, it has Indian Colony in it’s name. NO ONE WHO LIVES THERE CARES!!!!!
Native Americans have loudly and passionately protested these archaic names and mascots for decades. I’m glad you polled your neighbors and decided that would be reflective of an entire population, but that’s really not how these things work. And stop saying woke, it makes you sound like a hillbilly – and I don’t like calling people hillbillies anymore than I like calling someone woke.
I don’t have to be respectful to anything, especially your feelings. I don’t eat ice cream, and you know where you can stick that special trophy.
@sufferfortribe 2
I love the Cleveland Indians, both the name, history AND Chief Wahoo, but your argument completely eludes me.
@deeznuts
It’s a slur?
Then who were the members of AIM? (American Indian Movement)
Alaskan Eskimos?
You’re factually wrong about the natives not caring but ok
No one cares if you don’t root for the team or not. Frankly, we could do without miserable people like you in our fan base anyway.
Wow, you don’t come off like a miserable, bitter old man at all. Do you shake your fist at traffic too?
Ever thought of thought of changing your name to insufferablefortribe?
@ Faith in Padres
What’s truly lame is saying “should have went.”
Good lord, what has happened to the language?
Same people that say “should of” instead of “should have”.
Awesome. Nice stadium.
As long as Progressive has the naming rights, I’m not going
The Jake!
The Jake presented by State Farm is a real missed opportunity.
There’s a place to get a t-shirt to express outrage at this kind of naming wrong. I wear mine to Flushing all the time. Keeps me off the cameras.
Only fitting a guy from Nebraska would make that comment. “Me no like progress.”
Umm…Guardians
Next year. They said that they will keep using Indians through the end of the season, so the site is too I suppose.
No. Indians
It’s the Indians. Next year I’m still going to call them the Indians, too, because the new name is trash and they didn’t have to change it.
You tell ‘em, sea bass
You’re going to look pathetic doing so but good on ya
I still say that they could have saved 15% or more by switching to Geico Field.
And would only have taken 15 minutes!
Seriously…got to be PC…no “Indians”
Next year. Read the news
*Jacobs Field
To honor the great billionaire owner? No thanks.
You know, without these great billionaire owners there would be no pro sports at all. None at all. Cities are never going to subsidize pro sports teams. So maybe you should think about that before dismissing the impact of owners on sports.
Are you saying that pro sports don’t make money hand over fist and that the only reason they exist is that billionaires lose money to keep them around since no bank would finance them?
Sounds like you’re jealous that there’ll never be a stadium named after you. Cry.
No geg42, many people just don’t want to say the name of the insurance company that trimmed a ton of local jobs while somehow finding the $$$ to sponsor a stadium.
I feel that. I won’t call the Sf Giants stadium anything but Willie Mays Park (at McCovey Cove).
But FWIW, Insurance companies are not good guys. They are fundamentally heartless. The people who work there are real people with lives and loved ones.
The company is betting you that something bad will happen.
Absolutely! It will always be The Jake!
The Angels play in the Big “A” or Anaheim Stadium. The Dodgers play in Chavez Ravine.
So I know what you mean.
The Jake I can get behind.
What Native American/First Nations people are leasing Progressive Field? They have names yknow!
…but will the Indians and future Guardians extend their commitment to the city of Cleveland for the same period? A stadium lease may not prevent a relocation to another city.
Given the age of the stadium, that seems like a pretty long extension. If we push Progressive Field back 15 years, it would have been built in 1979 making it one of the oldest stadiums in the league.
It’s been renovated a few times already and the team has mentioned in the past that they want it to be one of the timeless ballparks like Wrigley and Fenway. Whether that can happen or not, remains to be seen. But that’s at least their goal.
Besides, they played at Municipal Stadium before that. Pretty much anything is an upgrade from there.
True, and nothing worse than holding the fans hostage for the funding to provide a brand new stadium every ~20 years.
Amen to your last sentiment Michael. I don’t like to throw around the word “dump” much when it comes to stadiums, but the shoe fits. Municipal was unfortunately one of many terrible baseball stadiums of its era, and might have been the worst.
If they wanted a timeless ballpark, they should start with a timeless name. Changing it to a sponsor name is NOT what happens to timeless ballparks: IE Wrigley, Fenway, Yankee stadium.
Wrigley Field? Wrigley was a sponsor.
Unfortunately, small market teams need to squeeze every bit of revenue they possibly can, so I get it. But, they can get them to fork over the money for naming rights, doesn’t mean I or many others will ever call it that.
Cleveland Guardians sounds like a team you make in a MLB 2k11 for xbox
Not even one you make, it’s auto generated by the CPU
Yes, and Brewers is one you’d find in the local slow pitch softball league.
I’ve given it a week and The name and logo are still embarrassingly lame. I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable with it. It just sucks. It’s not a baseball name.
And Indians is a baseball name? Most baseball team nicknames are not “baseball-y” at first or don’t make a ton of sense if you think TOO hard about them, but we’re now used to all of them.
Like I said. I don’t see that rolling off my tongue. Ever. Supposedly it only has value to the people that live there. Something about a bridge……
I understand wanna defend it but it’s not gonna work for me. Good luck tho.
Agreed. The “Indians” had to go, but this was deemed the best alternative? Lmao
There is a court case now from the Cleveland Guardians roller-derby team. The roller derby team filed for a trademark on the Cleveland Guardians name 4 days after the Indians announced this would be their new name. The roller derby team created a corporation back in 2017 under the name of the Cleveland Guardians so there’s a chance that this nickname might not stick in MLB if the roller derby team is successful in the courts. Classic…
I’m going to take a wild guess that the Indians/Guardians can afford better lawyers…
Yeah, but are they willing to pay the full price for them or will they wait around for a bargain basement attorney later on?
Progressive Field construction was partially funded by a Cuyahoga County sin tax that was set to expire in 2022. Looks like its going to be extended to at least partially pay for these improvements to the ballpark.
Hasn’t slowed drinking or smoking in Cleveland so I guess no one will notice when the price of a case of beer or a pack of smokes doesn’t go down a few cents.
shocker, most of the comments are about the team name. ugh. can we move on now?
Still believe they should have changed the name to The Rockers, in honor of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Rocky Colavito. Guardians, NOT
Ah yes, the Hall of Fame that doesn’t even care to have induction ceremonies local when they enshrine musicians that have nothing to do with Rock & Roll. It’s the equivalent of the Pro Football Hall of Fame down the road inducting great athletes from hockey, basketball and baseball.
Should have been the Spiders. I could see some pretty cool merchandise there. Guardians is just lame. Sounds like a Millennial came up with that one. You know the folks who believe climate change is real and who have never watched a movie that didn’t feature super heroes. Brilliant.
I liked the name Rockers.
Hmmm, no new taxes? Does that mean they will divert money from other, more important projects?
“The press release stresses that the government funding involves no new or increased taxes to residents.”
So no new taxes, just the same taxes they’ve been collecting. Problem is they wouldn’t come close to the almost 1/2 billion dollars needed for the repairs.
They’ll move by 2024.
the Tigers have also been in Detroit longer than the Indians have been in Cleveland. They are the only AL team that has the same name and city going back to the pre 1901 days when it was known as the Western League.
It’s typical Cleveland that the Guardians didn’t Google their new name before announcing it. They would have found out the moniker “Guardians” belongs to a local mens roller derby team LOL! Hostage negotiations have commenced…..
…..or they could name themselves after their manager like they did over 105 year ago.
They could be The Terrys or The Frans…..
Shouldn’t Progressive Insurance pay for the upgrades?
I wonder how people would feel about the new name if say by some strange twist of fate, they turn out to be really good next year and manage to win the world series.
How many would actually be too proud or stubborn to wear any gear that says “Cleveland Guardians 2022 World Series Champions”?
I think the Indians should be called the Cleveland Marvel Comic Book Heroes.
@MatthewLVT17
Just saying false doesn’t make it true. Capitalism has proven to uplift the average citizen who has an idea and the desire to see it through. A government can have assistance programs to help those in need, however any type of socialism always leads to citizens becoming fully dependent on government government subsidies and welfare programs. Controlling the flow of goods and the amount of cash flow within the system (government printing money and giving it away) will lead to a depressed value of the currency which will lead to a depression.
Interesting breakdown on who kicks in what money:
$150mil Dolans (ownership)
$138mil Cuyahoga County
$117mil Cleveland
$30mil Ohio
$435mil total and tax payers footing 2/3 of the bill.
Guardians” in this day & age is about ugly court cases!!! Great choice Cle