Some Sports Apparel Vendors Start Moving Away From Wahoo

Vendors of Cleveland Indians apparel seem to be preparing for a change.  This comes in reaction to a statement this week from Major League Baseball that commissioner Rob Manfred is working with the Cleveland Indians to transition away from the Chief Wahoo logo.  

Several years ago, Greg Vlosich's Lakewood-based GV Art + Design launched a tee-shirt featuring a silhouette of the famous Chief Wahoo insignia.   But, instead of the familiar grinning face were the words: "Keep the Chief".

"That one was definitely our most popular shirt when we launched it," says Vlosich.   "And every year around March and April, it becomes our most popular shirt again."

But, with the potential phasing out of the Wahoo logo, those days may be numbered.  This week, his company launched a shirt and cap featuring just the letter C intertwined with a single feather.    

Vern Thompson's table outside Progressive Field is packed with Indians apparel.  He says anything with a Chief Wahoo insignia is selling fast, after the recent reports that the image may be going away.  He adds, those items are getting hard for him to order.

"Our distributors are pushing it away, so we're not going be able to get as much of it anymore," says Thompson.   "They're really just going back to a block C and that's about it."  

For its part, Indians management has stated: "We fully expect to work with the Commissioner throughout the remainder of this season on finding a solution that is good for the game and our organization."