The conflict over the name of the Guardians in Cleveland has ended.
The Cleveland Guardians baseball team and the Cleveland Guardians roller derby team released a joint statement Tuesday morning, announcing that they would share the same name in the future.
“The Cleveland Guardians Baseball Company, LLC and the Guardians Roller Derby are pleased to announce a friendly resolution to the Guardians Roller Derby lawsuit that both organizations will continue to use the Guardians name. “
The Guardians – previously known as the Indians – announced the name change in July, which would take effect for the 2022 baseball season. Official merchandise was scheduled to go on sale at 9 a.m. on Monday, but this launch was postponed for unspecified reasons.
The team did not comment on the launch delay, but it is possible that this was due to the federal lawsuit filed by the roller derby team in October, who alleged that they would be irreparably injured if a second Guardian team suddenly existed in Cleveland. The derby team, which has been operating in the city since 2013, also alleged that the baseball team offered them a “only four-figure” check to purchase the intellectual property rights to the name, and when this offer was rejected, she went ahead and announced the name change anyway.
No details of the “amicable resolution” have been announced, but with the lawsuit resolved, the Guardians can continue to move forward with the squad’s first name change for over 100 years. No new dates for Guardians merchandise sales have been announced.
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