CLEVELAND (WJW/NEXSTAR) – A sign hanging near the entrance to the Cleveland Guardians team shop crashed to the ground on Friday morning — the same morning the store reopened to fans after the team officially transitioned from the Indians to the Guardians.
The official team shop, located at Progressive Field, had reopened at 9 a.m. to start selling Guardians gear for the first time. Fans were inside purchasing merchandise when the sign fell.
One of them even shouted, “Well, that’s an ominous sign,” the Associated Press reported.
The sign was being inspected by a worker on a ladder when it fell, according to the outlet. Photographs from the scene show debris and pieces of the sign scattered on the walkway in front of the shop. The area was roped off shortly afterward.
No one was injured.
After Friday morning’s accident, some joked on Twitter that they hoped it wasn’t a “sign” of what’s to come.
The Cleveland Guardians announced their new name in June, after confirming in Dec. 2020 that they would be changing their name from the Indians after years of controversy and pressure from Major League Baseball. The name Guardians, the team says, is a nod to the statues along the city’s Hope Memorial Bridge.
The switch from Indians to Guardians has been met with mixed reaction from fans, including those that have criticized the new logo. In addition, the Guardians only recently settled a lawsuit from a roller derby team which also used the Cleveland Guardians moniker. The parties reached an “amicable resolution,” The Hill reported.
