After 81 years, the University of Illinois is retiring its controversial sports mascot, Chief Illiniwek. Now I get to make good on my pledge to join the U of I alumni association as soon as the Chief was retired. This has totally made my day.
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2007.02.16
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Please change your banner your raccoon might be offensive to black people
Posted by: joe | 2008.02.28 at 08:31 PM
The other issue is that the "Chief" costume is from a rather different culture area/group than the Illini. The Chief was portrayed as a Sioux (costume came from Pine Ridge) and from what I remember from my undergrad anthro major, Illiniwek didn't roll with the Oglala. What sort of honor is it to a people when you dress the symbol in the wrong clothes?
Posted by: rochelle | 2007.02.20 at 04:06 PM
I think we do agree.
If the tribe is OK then it is OK with NCAA. If the tribe is not then it is not OK with NCAA.
I just think it is a matter of offending people. The Seminoles were not offended, but the Illini were. I don't know why because I would think that a winning sports team would present the tribe in a good light. Then again it really does not matter what I think because I am not a Native American.
So if the Illini what him gone then it should be so. It should not have taken the NCAA's pressure to do it. I don't care how long it was a tradition, heck it was traditional to use the terms Mick or Mackerel Snatcher was traditionally used to refer to Irish Catholics but apparently that pissed someone off too.
So the schools can suck their traditions and find something that does not offend anyone (for good reason).
Primum non nocere
Posted by: Matthew | 2007.02.20 at 03:24 PM
Matthew--I don't think that you and I will ever agree on this one, so I won't even try. I'm sure the NCAA sanctions had a lot to do with it, but when the tribe from which the "costume" came finally asked for it back earlier this year--that seems to have signalled a turning point. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2736134
Posted by: rochelle | 2007.02.19 at 01:26 PM
These things make no sense to me. I went to library school at FSU and the NCAA told them they had to get rid of Chief Seminole the mascot. Then they relented.
What is the difference between FSU and the U of I? I guess it just matters if you have the support of the tribe. FSU does.
http://unirel.fsu.edu/seminoles/pages/timeline.html
Of course the whole sports mascot stuff is nonsense, but then again most of higher education is.
Posted by: Matthew | 2007.02.18 at 09:46 AM
Yes, there quite a few of us overjoyed here today. Now we just have to wait and see how the not-so-overjoyed react. :(
Posted by: Mark | 2007.02.16 at 04:05 PM
yay!
Posted by: brian h | 2007.02.16 at 03:19 PM
Hey, all right! About time!
Posted by: K.R. | 2007.02.16 at 02:49 PM