Illinois bans Chief Illiniwek

[Hi-Line Lax]

People who don't think that these mascots are offensive are are both idiots and racists, to put it bluntly.
Indigenous North Americans live and die by their stereotypes and for so many Euro-American factions of our society not to care about this is sickening to me...the Washington Redskins might as well be called the "N words" and they play in our nation's capitol.
I don't really want to get into this, because nobody's mind is going to be changed over some internet chatting, but I do feel that as ambassadors of the sport of lacrosse we should at least be conscious about the facts.

[PigPen]

That wasn't in my U.S. history book. Why do you hate America?

did go to school in TX or the south? I used to be a Textbook consultant-very interested how certain books in certain areas omit or reinforce different things.

What's really funny about this whole thing-I read on my earthlink news ticker-"81 year old Illini Mascot stops performing"-I was tired and overworked and thought-"wow that dude's old to be dancing around at BB games"

[GrayBear]

People who don't think that these mascots are offensive are are both idiots and racists

What an expansive and tolerant worldview this represents.

Rock on, brother.

[Sonny]

Debate the topic folks, not the poster.

[sohotrightnow]

did go to school in TX or the south? I used to be a Textbook consultant-very interested how certain books in certain areas omit or reinforce different things.

Yeahhhhh, that was a bit of sarcasm.

[Adam G]

Everyone wants the pot of gold.

Especially this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nda_OSWeyn8

[schelitzche]

Going back to the NCAA being consistent, that is obviously the main issue. It is obvious the NCAA wants people to think they are looking out for Native Americans but will never go at it 100%.

Best example is this past Fall/Winter, the NCAA told the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota that if they did not change their mascot, they would not be allowed to participate in post season play..................with the exception of hockey! How laughable. A school where hockey is the only Division I sport (unless they just changed like the other Dakotas) and the only money maker at the University.

Nice Try.....

Schelitzche

[GrayBear]

Consistency? We don't need no stinking consistency . . .

[this is apparently acceptable] >>> http://seminoles.cstv.com/trads/fsu-trads-chant.html

[LAXDawg14]

ole miss says they want to get rid of colonel reb because hes "outdated"

heres a story from espn.com from september
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/caple/030916.html

[laxfan25]

Going back to the NCAA being consistent, that is obviously the main issue. It is obvious the NCAA wants people to think they are looking out for Native Americans but will never go at it 100%.

Best example is this past Fall/Winter, the NCAA told the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota that if they did not change their mascot, they would not be allowed to participate in post season play..................with the exception of hockey! How laughable. A school where hockey is the only Division I sport (unless they just changed like the other Dakotas) and the only money maker at the University.

Nice Try.....

Schelitzche

Money talks, I guess. Isn't the biggest UND financier a casino owner in Vegas, who had given many millions of dollars for their ice palace, and said that he would pull his donation if they took away the Fighting Sioux mascot?
I really think the NCAA is a major group of hypocrites based on a number of issues. To me, the biggest is the way that they treat student-athletes as indentured servants, while the schools make tens of millions off of their efforts. Let a coach buy a plane ticket for a kid and he's screwed.

[Beta]

To me, the biggest is the way that they treat student-athletes as indentured servants, while the schools make tens of millions off of their efforts. Let a coach buy a plane ticket for a kid and he's screwed.

Preach on!

[Dan Warren]

did go to school in TX or the south? I used to be a Textbook consultant-very interested how certain books in certain areas omit or reinforce different things.

Ever come acrosse "Mayflower" by Nathaniel Philbrick? Great book that tells the real story of the interactions between the "White Man" and the Native Americans. Definitely not stuff that we learned in school. And makes me question why our school is named after King Philip.

[GrayBear]

Sorry to wake this thread up from its well-deserved slumber, but I just found this and had to share.

http://www.shopncaasports.com/product2.asp?prd=Tailgating&pid=2116050&sch=Illinois&str=1&evn

Especially like the notation that it's "officially licensed" by that paragon of social justice, the NCAA.

[Beta]

People who don't think that these mascots are offensive are are both idiots and racists, to put it bluntly.

So mascots cannot exist if they represent people? So the Yankees, Reds, Brewers, Mets, Pirates, Padres, Rangers, etc are offensive?

The Seminole people were right along-side FSU when that whole ordeal went down....were they racist self-haters?

It must be difficult for someone/thing to look on TV and see themselves and still be able to cope with everyday life. I mean whenever beerworkers turn on a Brewers game...part of them dies inside....



It's a friggin mascot people. If someone wanted to make a "large-chinned yankees" or something like that based on myself...Id have better things to do than start creating lawsuits.

[Campbell]

To you, the "large-chinned yankee", it may seem absurd, but to Indians it does not. You have to understand that the Indians of this country basically had their entire way of life taken from them. Living on a reservation within a rapidly modernizing society, Indians see a rapid erosion of their cultural identity. Things like portraying Indians incorrectly, displaying the remains of their ancestors, digging up their history and selling it, etc. are often viewed as an extension of Euro-American imperialism. The idea being that it is ok to do these things because they are just "Indians." It is a theft of their cultural identity and something they want to have a say in. Comparing them to the Yankees or the Brewers is not appropriate since they reflect a commonality of the cultural majority, not a group of people that have been systematically subjugated for the last 500 years.