Last gasps
Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
This may be an overreaction, but at least it’s prompted some movement on the issue.
Chief Illiniwek could be forced to hang up his buckskins and stop dancing within a month — or even sooner, says a group of former students who have performed as the chief.
The former chiefs, in a letter sent to University of Illinois officials Wednesday, said they fear that pressure from Illinois Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) could spell the demise of the chief before the group can come up with a replacement tradition.
The former chiefs say they need a month to finalize a plan that could appease supporters of the chief as well as the NCAA. […]
Jones spokeswoman Cindy Davidsmeyer said she was unaware of Jones turning up the heat on university officials.
However, James Montgomery, recently named to the board, said Jones told him at a gala 10 days ago, “The chief’s got to go.'’
Meanwhile, GOP state Rep. Chapin Rose is doing a bit of grandstanding, introducing go-nowhere legislation to impose a 10 percent gross-receipts tax on money earned by the NCAA in Illinois, as retaliation for the association’s “interference” on the Chief situation.
Tired of what he sees as NCAA meddling in University of Illinois business, a member of the General Assembly has proposed legislation that would tax the organization.
State Rep. Chapin Rose, a Mahomet Republican, isn’t sure the bill he filed last week will get very far in the legislature, but he hopes it eases NCAA pressure on the university over its disputed mascot, Chief Illiniwek.
“Somebody needs to smack the NCAA upside the head,†said Rose, a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law. “They’re sitting up there in their ivory tower looking down at the rest of us.â€
Thoughts? We’ve had the debate over the chief here a couple of times, so let’s please try to focus on the two stories at hand.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 8:55 am:
You called it right, Rich - “Last Gasps”.
- Johnny USA - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 9:30 am:
Why can’t we tax the NCAA here in Illinois anyway?
We can use the tax from the money they make exploiting college players to pay for health care for the poorest among us.
- Philosophe Forum - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 10:30 am:
The only way the school can get back any of it’s dignity is to lose the lame self-aggrandizing marketing gimmick. 80 yrs. of the complete lack of any historical accuracy & a manic drunken dance routine is far too much.
Republicans love being so creative adding new taxes. They just convince gullible people that they’re against more taxes.
- The Federalist - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 11:01 am:
We all know the Chief will soon be history. Why not replace him with a Civil War Soldier? He can ride around the stadium on a Cavalry horse and wave a saber. If we ever score he can fire a cannon. And if we ever get to the Peach Bowl again the band can play “Marching Through Georgia” and only alienate the Rebs. I don’t believe they are an ethnic group. New revenue stream for selling hats, sabers shirts, etc.
After all, President Lincoln did establish the University of Illinois in the Land Grant University Act.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 12:41 pm:
Underneath the indian makeup and the buckskin is another Al Jolson wanna-be.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 1:28 pm:
Just a note, a saw an add recently on America’s racist history — might have been dring the Superbowl — that included an image of Chief Illiniwek.
Yes, Jones is serious about getting rid of the Chief.
Yes, Chapin’s measure is likely going nowhere.
What’s interesting to me is that 17 years ago, when the movement to get rid of the Chief first began, alumni and sports fans across the state were up in arms.
Today, you barely hear a peep of protest outside of Champaign County.
Either our understanding of the issue has evolved or the attention span of proponents is short.
Might also have something to do with the Illini’s record on the field: 1-7 in the Big Ten (tied for last), and 2-10 overall. The only season highlight was the victory over Michigan State, whom we shared the basement with in the Big Ten.
I’d rather have U of I focused on putting a winning team on the field than The Chief. Unless he can kick field goals.
- Philosophe Forum - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 2:20 pm:
I would like to hope that the controversy over the years has encouraged a little more research into historical accuracy — something terribly lacking during the past 80 yrs in a university of that size. Creating a marketing gimmick out of a hodgepodge of Plains Indian culture that was never part of the region’s history & have an actor pretend he’s drunk & perform a manic dance of (hopefully) imaginary drunkenness is humiliating & demeaning. Thinking that the caricature will ever receive credibility because fools continually supporting the issue is sadly misguided & beyond embarrassing.
- Wumpus - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 2:32 pm:
I can’t wait for someone (non-Irish of course) to start the campaign to launch th eLeprechaun from Notre Dame. It is either racist, implying Irish people fight or supports the IRA/terrorists.
Also, you would think the NCAA would worry more about their lackluster graduation rates than a mascot that demeans no one. As of a few years ago, wasn’t U of I’s grad rate pretty respectable? Perhaps Zook will change that. I am more offended by the exploitation of young African American males who are often encouraged to coast through school than a non-racist Native American MAscot.
- Gene Parmesan - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 2:37 pm:
Yellow-Dog: I think the lack of interest you see from Chief supporters is more out of boredom than anything. There hasn’t been a new argument brought to this discussion in quite some time. The anti-chief people talk up the racism and lack of authenticity, and the pro-chief people talk up the tradition and the symbol vs. mascot status.
“I’d rather have U of I focused on putting a winning team on the field than The Chief. Unless he can kick field goals.”— I don’t think Ron Zook or Guenther have anything to do with the Chief per se. Unless you mean the Trustees should be out there directing football practice.
- Brian Mackey - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 2:38 pm:
“Civil War Soldier” is among the best ideas for a successor symbol/mascot I’ve heard in years. The team could be known as the Illini Union.
Or maybe the Galloping Ghosts.
- Gene Parmesan - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 2:40 pm:
“I am more offended by the exploitation of young African American males who are often encouraged to coast through school than a non-racist Native American MAscot.”
Couldn’t agree more Wumpus. This is the issue the NCAA should be dealing with. Let the schools decide what their mascot/symbol should be.
- Philosophe Forum - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 3:02 pm:
Racism — Absolutely. The caricature is racial prejudice. The creators used pre-formed opinions about Native people based on their perceived racial heritage. It involves generalizing about members of a group based on the perceived characteristics of one or more members of the group. Generalizations include beliefs that every member of a group has the same personality traits, interests, language, culture, ideas, norms and attitudes.
This all can be traced back to 1606. Marc Lescarbot’s The Theatre of Neptune in New France cast First nations as Savages who offer their complete subordination to the colonial masters. While the Savages were played by Frenchmen, the audience was composed of people from the Mi’kmaq Nation, setting a disturbing precedent.
Encyclopedia research — What a concept!!!
- Gene Parmesan - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 3:02 pm:
“Civil War Soldier” is a nice suggestion, but would it be a Union or Confederate soldier? There were citizens of Illinois on both sides. That’s good enough to start another mascot controversy.
- Morrow Plotting - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 5:48 pm:
Rose has been a big disappointment. He’s a bright, energetic guy in a district that will re-elect him (or any Republican) forever. Unfortunately, besides bashing gay University employees and worshipping the Chief, he hasn’t done anything of note.
He doesn’t have to pander to the bigots, but he does, anyway. Disappointing.
- Telluride - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 8:18 pm:
If the UI Trustees transfer the trademark of the Chief to the group of former Chiefs without seeking competitive bids on a price, there should be an investigation into this transaction.
- not a big fan - Thursday, Feb 8, 07 @ 9:04 pm:
Why can’t they arrange to hire real Native Americans to come out and do something real? From the bits I’ve seen of real pow-wows and tribal feasts, they have real blessings, songs, or rituals that might work out as well or better than the current clown act. After looking thru the yearbook photos from the 40’s and 50’s I’ll be glad to see this “tradition” go.