The issue of Native American mascots and imagery in sports was thrust into the headlines again over the summer when the Washington, D.C., NFL team decided to change the name of its team from a dictionary-defined slang term and removed all Native American terms and imagery from its branding.

He had broken his left arm in a mishap at church camp and was shackled with the standard wrist-to-elbow cast.

In his retirement, fate sent Dave Vaughn into a second career: recovery.

In the days and weeks following the killing of George Floyd and subsequent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the campaign to rid society of racist language and images, the use of Native American terms and imagery in sports has once again become a national headline.

For decades, certain sports teams – professional, college and high school – have resisted changing their nicknames and branding from Native American terms and imagery.But with the recent climate of change sweeping the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the resulting national protests against racism, a couple of the more prominent – and historically most resistant – professional teams have been pressured by activists and investors to reevaluate the situation.

On Tuesday, officials with Minor League Baseball confirmed the 2020 MiLB season has been officially canceled after a conference call between MLB’s board of trustees. 

With its scheduled opening day looming next week, the Northwest League issued a statement on Friday officially – and indefinitely – delaying the start of its season.

MLB wants to drastically streamline the minor league and how franchises operate, as soon as next season. The Spokane Indians figure to be impacted as much as anyone.

Minor League Baseball is prepared to agree to a drastic reduction in its number of affiliated teams in order to ratify a new agreement with Major League Baseball.

In Spokane, it’s possible that while there could be fewer baseball games this year, there could be more in 2021 and beyond.

Carlos Beltran is out as manager of the New York Mets before managing even a single game, the latest fallout from the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball.