Chief Retirement Story Breaking Widely

Thanks for breaking the story first. Finally the Board got a backbone. There will always be naysayers and complainers cause that is what some people live for. Keep up the great blogging.

-dhh

Glad to see at least one paper credited you.

The Chief has been on his way out for at LEAST ten years.  I'm quite frankly surprised that anyone is surprised by this announcement.

Back in 1997 or so, none other than the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette did a feature investigating what exactly happened at other big name schools that got rid of their Indian mascots[1].  Although people would complain about how contributions to the university would fail, it turns out that in fact, they don't.  They don't decrease or increase, beyond the limited increase that's average over time.  Apparently the people who write all the letters saying they'll never give a dime, don't give many dimes to start with, and there is still plenty of demand for wealthy benefactors to see their names carved into stone or announced on the radio every hour.

One of the schools featured was Stanford.  They used to be the Stanford Indians until 1972 when that was dropped in favor of "Cardinal" and the tree logo.  Alumni donations didn't fall off. Sure, fans in the stands clung to the "Indian" gear (although it was no longer for sale) but with no official support, it died out after a while. 

The "Chief" isn't even remotely like a real Illiniwek or related member.  It's the equivalent of calling a German guy French because hey, they both come from Europe, and his costume was made by a real Spaniard.  He's a Boy Scout Indian, which is a very American tradition, rooted as far back as the Boston Tea Party and Tammany Hall, but it's a tradition that is anachronistic in this day and age, so it's time to let it go.  Put up a statue, and let's move on.

Let's GET a real mascot, one that isn't divisive, something that we can cheer, something that can DO cheers, and get the crowd going, and doesn't require all manner of psuedo-religious PC kid gloves treatment all the time.

If the school keeps the Illini name, I just hope it doesn't stand in the way of getting a real new logo and image, and a real mascot.   Though, it's possible to have multiple names and even multiple mascots or logos.

But having a blank spot on the field while the band plays the three-in-one and everyone cries, will be LAME.  Do it once, maybe, but then, let's MOVE ON.

[1] Yes, yes, I know. Call it what you like, it makes little difference.

(not sure if this posts... site seems to be slow)

Considering how many people get their news from sites like this, I think it's pretty irrelevant that you got snubbed in the dinosaur media.

And now I hope you will use your power to promote the idea of changing the mascot to the Fighting Tim Johnsons! I bet he could get 20 or 30 laps around Assembly Hall during halftime...

I wish the Di was a little clearer here:

"Rumors had been flying around on campus about the future of Chief Illiniwek in the recent weeks, especially after the Jan. 17 resolution passed by the Executive Committee of the Oglala Sioux tribe demanding the University return Chief Illiniwek's regalia."

The University has to return the regalia to the Oglala Sioux tribe?  Not an Illini tribe?  I remember in 1980 a 90+ year old Illini gentleman presented the standing Chief Illiniwek with a costume.  Joe and Ralph Garcia flew him into the football stadium via their hot air balloon.  No mention of him being an Oglala Sioux in any way. 

Finally, this Chief thing can be put to rest.  Am I disappointed the Chief is retired?  Yes.  Is it an issue that warrants all this drama?  No.

I just can't figure out why Emil Jones is catching the blame.  Oh wait, maybe because he is a democrat and we're on a republican blog.  Maybe Timmy Johnson and Chapin Rose should have intervened YEARS ago instead of at the last minute like they did.  If Jones is the supposed culprit, as the guy from the Honor the Chief Society, Gordy, and various others have claimed; wouldn't the state republicans like Johnson and Rose have known this and thwarted his efforts long ago?

Jones has been in either the house or the senate since 1973.  Did he just wait until the mid-late 80s to make this his mission?  I mean the real concerns about the Chief didn't start until about that time anyways.  Has there been pressure on the University from Jones since then or only recently?  Personally, all these accusations and theories appear to be nothing more than republicans and pro-chiefers (mostly the same people) looking for someone to blame.

Let us not forget the NCAA role in this.  Had they not stepped in, the BOT would probably still be ducking the decision.  The NCAA plays a larger role in this decision than Jones does.  We've really seen this issue magnify since they stepped in.  Only then did the University even begin to REALLY make an effort to resolve the issue.  Wait, maybe Emil Jones has connections in the NCAA?  Or, maybe the leaders of the NCAA are democrats.  MAYBE, the NCAA doesn't want to have some protestors showing up at a championship event and drawing bad publicity for their organization.  Why do you think the Seminoles get to keep their mascot?  Because they have the "unique relationship" with the tribe and the community, not the same can be said of the Chief here.

I blame the University for taking 20+ years to figure out a decision.  They waited too long, and we're out of options.  They should have dealt with it long ago, and maybe there could have been a compromise or agreement satisfactory to both sides.

Celebrate the Chief's last dance and let's all move on.  My guess, we'll hardly notice any difference.

Gordy, I wouldn't worry about the agenda-based media. They still want to portray bloggers as bathrobe-wearing recluses who don't know beans about gathering the news. Meanwhile, the Tribune's corrections fill up almost an entire column on some days, and the agenda pushers are running front page stories about Anna Nicole.

You say you got the story from sources in the know, and you went with what you had. That's pretty much what any of the traditional media would have done.

How could Emil Jones be to blame? He was singlehandedly engineering the defeat of Saint Sen. Judy Meyers for the past year or so. I know that's true because I read it right here. Often.

And if it's on a blog, it just HAS to be true. (No blogger anywhere ever had an agenda, after all.... Most just follow the tradition of  'I only believe that which affirms my previously-held biases.')

Maybe if your hyperlinks weren't so stylishly difficult to read, you wouldn't be accused of plagiarism when you're linking to a source. Love of design is the source of all evil? Why not -- design is as much a sign of godless hubris as is money.