When Cleveland played Baltimore in the 2007 " Civil Rights Game " in Memphis , logos were removed from uniforms for both teams during that games . This caused some sportswriters to assert that the office of the Major League Baseball commissioner understood , " on some level , that Chief Wahoo is the wrong message " . The controversy was heightened by Memphis ' location on the Trail of Tears . The president of the Faraway Cherokees in Memphis said , " My family was on the Trail of Tears . We feel offended that they would bring a team here called the Indians . It 's racist . We are n't gone . " In 2013 , the Chief Wahoo logo was also absent from merchandise sold at All-Star Game FanFest activities in New York City . The use of alternate logos on official merchandise led sportswriters to speculate that Major League Baseball was uncomfortable or cautious about using the Chief Wahoo logo . Major League Baseball 's use of an alternate logo on its website has led to similar speculation
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Chief Wahoo