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The mascot debate/fandom thread
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<blockquote data-quote="1970 John" data-source="post: 1935144" data-attributes="member: 589602"><p>I don't believe that anyone who didn't experience Chief Illiniwek at Memorial Stadium, at the Assembly Hall, can understand, can appreciate, the electricity and the passion that ran through the crowd. And for what? For doing something together, for being part of something bigger than themselves alone, a part of history, a part of tradition, a part of what would continue into the future. We put our arms over the shoulders of strangers and sang the Alma Mater. Can you imagine what that sounded like? </p><p></p><p>And the Chief. Chief Illiniwek, from the moment he burst from the band, though the singing of the Alma Mater, to his final step of his dance, was on the field for two minutes and ten seconds. </p><p></p><p>I don't know. I never saw it. I never took a youngster to an Illinois football game. But I'll bet any kid would have come away from halftime with starry eyes, much more so than any forgettable foam-headed mascot.</p><p></p><p>If you want to know why those of us who don't want something something silly, whether a foam-headed bird or a dancing letter "I", that's it. Life is more than giggles. Those two minutes... My senior year we lost every game. We lost to Michigan at home, 57-0. But we had Chief Illiniwek. He was ours. And we were in the palm of his hand. It carried us through.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>There's nothing today quite like those two minutes and ten seconds. The Florida State Seminoles have Chief Osceola. Sanctioned or not by the Seminole tribe, he nonetheless has the same impact on all Natrive Americanyouth, Seminole or other, that a University of Michigan professor says causes Native children to kill themselves. Now that's a Production with a capital P. And created, incidentally, by a white man. <a href="https://youtu.be/J20wsKNV0NI?si=y8EHBLvG4ZFY_TnN" target="_blank">Click here for Chief Osceola pregame</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="1970 John, post: 1935144, member: 589602"] I don't believe that anyone who didn't experience Chief Illiniwek at Memorial Stadium, at the Assembly Hall, can understand, can appreciate, the electricity and the passion that ran through the crowd. And for what? For doing something together, for being part of something bigger than themselves alone, a part of history, a part of tradition, a part of what would continue into the future. We put our arms over the shoulders of strangers and sang the Alma Mater. Can you imagine what that sounded like? And the Chief. Chief Illiniwek, from the moment he burst from the band, though the singing of the Alma Mater, to his final step of his dance, was on the field for two minutes and ten seconds. I don't know. I never saw it. I never took a youngster to an Illinois football game. But I'll bet any kid would have come away from halftime with starry eyes, much more so than any forgettable foam-headed mascot. If you want to know why those of us who don't want something something silly, whether a foam-headed bird or a dancing letter "I", that's it. Life is more than giggles. Those two minutes... My senior year we lost every game. We lost to Michigan at home, 57-0. But we had Chief Illiniwek. He was ours. And we were in the palm of his hand. It carried us through. There's nothing today quite like those two minutes and ten seconds. The Florida State Seminoles have Chief Osceola. Sanctioned or not by the Seminole tribe, he nonetheless has the same impact on all Natrive Americanyouth, Seminole or other, that a University of Michigan professor says causes Native children to kill themselves. Now that's a Production with a capital P. And created, incidentally, by a white man. [URL='https://youtu.be/J20wsKNV0NI?si=y8EHBLvG4ZFY_TnN']Click here for Chief Osceola pregame[/URL] [/QUOTE]
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