The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Going into this thread is always a mistake.
The mascot debate/fandom thread
Going into this thread is always a mistake.
I should have put sarcasm behind the post. I am as big a chief supporter as anyone on this site.ANNOYING
Which I think is exactly what the Kingfisher is meant to be.
Is it the best option?
It's fine. I'd also be ok with some random furry orange blob, an otter, or an anthropomorphic can of orange soda. Ironically, given the Kingfisher hate by the pro-Chief crowd, having that particular mascot associated with the program would allow us to use some feather motifs reminiscent of a certain headdress with plausible deniability.
Blocky the I or we riot.
None? Where have you been? The students absolutely yell "Chief!" I am sure that there are some (even many) that don't, but to incinuate that the current generation doesn't know about the past is disingenuous. Many of the current students are children of former students, and even the ones who aren't often know the history. Whether Illinois ever brings back the Chief or not (and I will stipulate that it is most likely not), I pray that they never accept some weak a$$ bird!
To clarify, I am against a moniker change to Belted Kingfishers far more than accepting whatever as a mascot. The Chief was never a mascot, he was a symbol, love it or hate it. I hate that he was retired because I don't really like change, and I liked what he represented, (admittedly not thinking too deeply into the social implications of appropriating a Native American symbol). FWIW, I still like the idea of the Doughboy as a mascot, while keeping the moniker "Fighting Illini".
My wife says the exact same. She wants a soldier. WWI doughboy makes perfect sense IMO. Could be very educational.
Doughboy - Wikipedia
Ha! The student body has already spoken about the Kingfisher. Enough said.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
First laugh I've had today since checking the final score last night around 11 p.m. Thank you.Since there's nowhere to run or hide from the football threads, and the early sunsets are beginning to bum me out, I immediately ran from here and took refuge in the basketball uniform thread.
Were they given any other options?
that is a huge turnout for a student election!
As my kids would say, bruh...
You definitely came to this thread with that in your back pocket... just embarassing.
(This response is in general...not directed at your helpful comment.)
So you're saying that less than 10% of the body voted on a new mascot option in which there was only one option to vote for? Yes-Bird No-youre racist. What is this.. Cuba?! Lmao nice. (With the way the university is shaking people down for cash these days) If you spend money to the University or have a degree/certifications your vote should count. I would like to cast my vote.
So you're saying that less than 10% of the body voted on a new mascot option in which there was only one option to vote for? Yes-Bird No-youre racist. What is this.. Cuba?! Lmao nice. (With the way the university is shaking people down for cash these days) If you spend money to the University or have a degree/certifications your vote should count. I would like to cast my vote.
Relying solely on what the current student body wants makes no sense....will you continue to change the mascot every few years if the student body's opinion changes?
I ask again, other than that it's not the Chief (which means you'd never accept any mascot), is the objection to the Kingfisher just that it's a bird? Why do people hate birds so much?
the belted king fisher is a bird that isn't common in illinois, its only attachment to
illinois is its blue and orange feathers. nothing really sporting about it. i guess the Cardinal,
Bluejay and Oriole are mascots of sorts. nothing redeeming about it as it relates to illinois.
Citizens of illinois and fans of the school can be called illini, players fighting illini. not sure
we need a mascot (let alone a bird without any real connection to the school or state.)
many WW1 and WW2 illinois citizens fought for our freedom, the military is our best
connection. military day is a proud day for our team, school, stadium and history. lets
grow that tradition. id rather not have a military guy with a gun roaming the sideline, but
a symbol of military tied to our uniform and logo could give us the best connection to
our history. "Fighting Illini" i like it.
I have ornithophobia and I demand everyone comply accordingly.
It's a mascot though. Comic relief and fun for kids. Mascots run around doing dumb silly stuff. Do we really want to have a weird Purdue Pete type guy in uniform running around and doing backflips and dunks off trampolines? Is that a good way to honor our troops? (I'll admit, I'm a little biased against mascots that are cartoonish human characters. They always come off looking weird and creepy).
As for the belted Kingfisher, they do live in Illinois. Not sure what you mean by "common" but they are found here. They're even featured in this kids coloring/activity book put out by IDNR and titled "Common Illinois Birds." So if your concern is that they don't have any connection to Illinois, I think you can rest easy now.
As for the whole name thing, again, its the Stanford Cardinal, not the Stanford Trees, Alabama Crimson Tide, not Alabama Elephants, Miami Hurricanes, not Miami Ibis, Tennessee Volunteers, not Tennessee Dogs, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers not Western Kentucky Red Blobs.
I think the closest example of how mascot =/= name is Ole Miss. They retired Colonel Reb (a traitor to the United States) and adopted a Black Bear named Rebel for 7 years. Then they replaced Rebel with Tony the Landshark. There has never been any concern that they will become the Ole Miss Black Bears or the Ole Miss Landsharks.
my concern is the kingfisher means nothing to residents of illinois. I've never seen one. the
tradition of our military and our stadium are enough to dodge a bad mascot. most are bad,
a few are tolerable. not very many are good. Maybe except for the stanford tree, ex- san diego
chicken, the astro ///.. thing, ...In the big ten, USC Trojan is a symbol (like chief), brutus buckeye
and the Rutgers guy with his sword are fun and tolerable. CORNHUSKER, HAWKEY?, THE BADGER,
TURTLE, BRUIN, all terrible. Most don't know Biff the michigan wolverine mascot. (a sideline joke)
I'm guessing Mississippi won't be the kingfishers. there are way more of them in the south than
up here. i did look it up.
DON'T NEED ONE, PERIOD.
tradition of our military and our stadium are enough to dodge a bad mascot. most are bad,
a few are tolerable. not very many are good. Maybe except for the stanford tree, ex- san diego
chicken, the astro ///.. thing, ...In the big ten, USC Trojan is a symbol (like chief), brutus buckeye
and the Rutgers guy with his sword are fun and tolerable. CORNHUSKER, HAWKEY?, THE BADGER,
TURTLE, BRUIN, all terrible. Most don't know Biff the michigan wolverine mascot. (a sideline joke)
I'm guessing Mississippi won't be the kingfishers. there are way more of them in the south than
up here. i did look it up.
DON'T NEED ONE, PERIOD.
As someone said, for kids....and who would want a cringe worthy one. I wouldn't trust the administration to make a tolerable one.
Sure. We also don't NEED high level sports. Lots of Universities don't have them, we could always drop down to D-III and still be an outstanding academic institution. We don't NEED football. Lots of schools don't have it. On a individual level, we don't NEED the computers or phones we are typing these posts on.
Mascots are fun for kids. If you aren't a kid, or the parent of a kid, of course you don't have a strong investment in getting a mascot. But what confuses me is, why do you have such a strong investment in NOT getting a mascot. I get not caring. That I completely understand. But some of you are actively ready to riot over the school...trying to do something fun for kids?
There are over 450,000 graduates living in Illinois. Do you really think 3,000 students should decide a mascot.