Review: ESPN's '30 for 30' explores Guardians change through legacy of Louis Sockalexis

The universe has a keen sense of humor or it just rewards those who ultimately do the right thing because there is cosmic symmetry in ESPN’s latest “30 for 30” documentary, “Deerfoot of the Diamond” which arrives on the network Tuesday at 8 p.m., mere days after the Guardians captured their first American League Central Division under cover of their new moniker.

Prior to the start of the season, the Guardians hadn’t won a division title since 2018 when they were known as the Indians, a name that allegedly honored Louis F. Sockalexis, a member of the Penobscot tribe of Maine who discovered his love for baseball as a young man and was the first indigenous person to play the sport.

Director Lance Edmands returns to the debate as to how the name Indians came to be and the eventual name change by looking to the life of Sockalexis, who, according to his biographer Brian McDonald, held the potential to be among the best.

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Potential can be a cruel thing. Sockalexis was ultimately derailed by an injury and alleged alcoholism after enjoying a magical start to a fairytale career in 1897 when he became the darling of Cleveland, who was supported by his teammates, according to his own words.

A common thread runs through ESPN '30 for 30' documentary

There is, however, a thread that runs through the history of sports from Sockalexis, Jackie Robinson and those who re-integrated the NFL, including Browns great Marion Motley. His teammates accepted him, but many fans did not as he endured various forms of hate directed his way, including war chants and other indignities.

More:Cleveland Guardians clinch 2022 American League Central Division

“No matter where we play, I go through the same ordeal,” Sockalexis said in an interview Edmands uses. “And at the present time, I'm so used to it that I forget to smile at my tormentors, believing it to be part of the game. Had I cared, they would have driven me out of the business long ago. I got it from the very first day I played.”

There ia an obvious display of pragmatism in that statement, but also for anyone with a sense of decency, the cruelty directed at a fellow person in the name of sport represents a high level of moral bankruptcy. Sockalexis endured.

But his career ended as quickly as it began for him in 1899.

He eventually returned to Maine where he died at 42 of a heart attack in 1913.

Did the team really honor Louis Sockalexis?

As for how the Cleveland baseball team came to have the name Indians: it’s a case of necessity marrying fate. In 1914, the former Cleveland Naps needed a new name when its star, Nap Lajoie, for whom the team was named, left.

The Indians name remained for more than a century until the Dolan family, owners of the team. agreed to retire the name along with the cartoonish, offensive Chief Wahoo logo.

Edmands uses some over-the-top fan reaction to connect the past with the present as he shows some of the ugly, bigoted defiance some fans – probably the same ones who say they will never root for the team now, but hit virtual lines to buy playoff tickets in the coming days.

Edmands gets to the heart of the Guardians name change and Sockalexis effectively, efficiently and intelligently in less than a half hour. But turns to Maulian Dana, current tribal ambassador for the Penobscot Nation, to drive it home.

"We didn't need that mascot to remember him, because it wasn't a true honor of him,” she said. "I'm really relieved the Cleveland Indians have changed to the Cleveland Guardians. Now we can kind of wipe that slate clean and have a fresh start and really talk about how to honor him and his legacy. He was the Cleveland Indian and that's all he was ever allowed to be."

Edmands, however, remembers a man that left a legacy in two places – one that’s been corrected in Northeast Ohio and another that inspires in Maine.

George M. Thomas is a sportswriter who dabbles in movies and television for the Beacon Journal. Reach him at gthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByGeorgeThomas

Review

Show: “Deerfoot of the Diamond”

Directed by: Lance Edmands

Running time: 27 minutes

Rated: Not rated

Grade: A-

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Review: ESPN's '30 for 30' takes clear-eyed look at Guardians change