The optimist in me wants to believe that two significant changes to racist team nicknames in pro sports happened in 2020 because of an ongoing push for social justice and a recognition of the overdue need to do what's right.
The cynic in me wonders if the fan-free environment of 2020 (and into 2021, to a degree, in all likelihood) is providing a convenient cover for organizations who feared a backlash and didn't necessarily want to change but were overwhelmed by pressure to pursue advancements that should have been made decades ago.
Perhaps in the end it's a mix of both — with the social and political climate of this year, fueled in no small part by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, playing a significant role in these decisions.
Whatever the case, the end result is the same: First Washington announced it was dropping "Redskins" back in July. And late Sunday, reports emerged that Cleveland's baseball team is going to do away with "Indians" after more than 100 years of use.
There is no sliding scale when it comes to racism, and yes other offensive nicknames persist in sports. But these were two big ones. And they are finally going away.
Yes, there will be fans who cling to the past and insist that some part of their history is being erased. Don't listen to them. Listen to those who are the most directly impacted by racist nicknames.
"This is the culmination of decades of work," the Oneida Nation of New York, which led the Change the Mascot Movement, said in a statement to ESPN. "Groups like the National Congress of American Indians passed resolutions for decades on this, social science has made clear these names are harmful and Cleveland got out in front of it and they're leading, and rather than having this hanging over their heads, they're charting a new path."
Cleveland has been slowly inching toward this moment, having shed its "Chief Wahoo" logo from caps and using jerseys with "C" or "Cleveland" on them more frequently.
