Don’t expect Toronto Blue Jays play-by-play voice Jerry Howarth to mention the Indians at all when the two teams meet in the American League Championship Series.
Howarth, the Blue Jays radio voice since 1981, won’t utter the name of Cleveland’s baseball team because he knows it’s offensive to some Native Americans. It’s a stance we’ve seen announcers take in the NFL, where some broadcasters have refused to call Washington’s team the Redskins.
This isn’t new-age posturing by Howarth. He’s actually held this stance for more than 20 years, it’s just not something that gets brought up that often.