The mascot debate
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IlliniwekKDR
- Colorado Springs, CO
So frustrating. It would have made most people happy (there's bound to have been a few people that still would've wanted him completely gone)
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
What I found most frustrating at the time is that the majority of people pushing to oust him were from outside the university. We were an easy target since we didn't have a relationship with the tribe like FSU and they didn't have the cash to go after pro teams.
That being said, I also understand now that the Chief is never coming back and I've made my peace with it. We can find another symbol for the spirit of the Illini... Just please not the damn kingfisher.
If they feel we need a mascot, I continue to be on team doughboy!
If we have to have a mascot, this is the best choice and there is no close second
Y'all are missing the point- we are old. The students of today have spoken. The Kingfisher is going to happen at some point.... embrace it. Let a new generation of fans come up with the mascot. Make it fun and stop dreaming of the past.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
I think it's possible to let go of the past and also think that the Kingfisher feels forced and out of place.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I mean I'm not that old ... I'm 30. The Doughboy is actually cool and unique, and I'm 100% in favor. I really don't buy at all that we NEED a mascot ... this debate gained the most steam when we were in the desert for sports - circa 2012, IIRC. A vibrant Illini program can survive just fine without a mascot; Michigan fans are plenty proud, for example.
However, I think the real thing that is missing is some type of IDENTITY based around sports. MSU fans and Iowa fans think their logos are badass, but some (like Minnesota). Everyone deserves his/her own opinion, of course, and I do not look down on people who support the Kingfisher. However, I must admit to being a bit bewildered at some people being practically scared by the very idea of the WWII/military imagery and honoring that part of our heritage, tying it in with the spirit of Memorial Stadium. It almost feels like some people are so scared of repeating the Chief controversy that they run 1,000 miles per hour in the other direction toward something silly ... but I don't think you'll get pushback at us honoring the armed forces if we do it right, and I don't think it's difficult to do it correctly.
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I'm not sure we should rely on people whose prefrontal cortices are not yet fully developed to make this decision.
I am a man in my 30's with humble means and no influence, but I will do everything I can to prevent the Kingfisher from becoming the mascot of the University of Illinois. This is a hill I am prepared to die on, as a Kingfisher mascot would be an absolute travesty.
socalini
- So Cali
Let me preface this post by saying:
I have no graphic arts skills.
I’m aware that the colors and fonts are incorrect.
I'm sure the allusion to the chief logo will be dismissed out of hand by some.
Feel free to mock my work/idea to your heart’s content.
I've always felt that there's a logo/image/"mascot" out there that would offer reverence to the past without offending "most" people, and that could be unique (to college sports) and aesthetically pleasing visual. I think there's a connection to be made between the "sons" that are honored at memorial stadium and the actual "sun" in the sky. Also, if we are “Familly”, then those on the field and the court are our “sons”.
The traditional sunset image contains orange and blue. As someone who appreciates a good sunset, I believe that Illinois sunsets are among the most vibrant and beautiful out there. Sure, everyone has sunsets, but everyone has Bulldogs, Hawkeyes, Buckeyes as well.
I think some sort of sunray, sunset type logo could offer up a nod to the Chief logo without offending, as it’s only visually similar, with no reference to Native Americans (headdress, feathers, etc...) It could also work great on helmets, similar but different to, the helmet prototype that was making the rounds a few years ago (attached below).
As for a mascot to entertain the kids, maybe the “Sun King” could parade around with some of the same design elements. Would be especially apropos during cold winter days, providing a little warmth to the scene.
So, I offer you my crude renderings below as a starting point if someone more talented is inclined to take it to another level.
Again, feel free to mock my work/idea to your heart’s content.
I have no graphic arts skills.
I’m aware that the colors and fonts are incorrect.
I'm sure the allusion to the chief logo will be dismissed out of hand by some.
Feel free to mock my work/idea to your heart’s content.
I've always felt that there's a logo/image/"mascot" out there that would offer reverence to the past without offending "most" people, and that could be unique (to college sports) and aesthetically pleasing visual. I think there's a connection to be made between the "sons" that are honored at memorial stadium and the actual "sun" in the sky. Also, if we are “Familly”, then those on the field and the court are our “sons”.
The traditional sunset image contains orange and blue. As someone who appreciates a good sunset, I believe that Illinois sunsets are among the most vibrant and beautiful out there. Sure, everyone has sunsets, but everyone has Bulldogs, Hawkeyes, Buckeyes as well.
I think some sort of sunray, sunset type logo could offer up a nod to the Chief logo without offending, as it’s only visually similar, with no reference to Native Americans (headdress, feathers, etc...) It could also work great on helmets, similar but different to, the helmet prototype that was making the rounds a few years ago (attached below).
As for a mascot to entertain the kids, maybe the “Sun King” could parade around with some of the same design elements. Would be especially apropos during cold winter days, providing a little warmth to the scene.
So, I offer you my crude renderings below as a starting point if someone more talented is inclined to take it to another level.
Again, feel free to mock my work/idea to your heart’s content.
Attachments
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
If we're ever going to have a mascot (which I don't think is needed), I'd still prefer something humorous, like Blocky the I, or Abe Lincoln the Vampire Hunter. Because f$@# it.
Alma Otter.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I could at LEAST get behind a humorous incorporation of Lincoln being somewhat tied to our state and a unique sense of pride that should come with being an Illinoisan and/or Illini alum/fan. That could solve the aforementioned issue with a lack of an identity. However, picking a random-!!! thing like a bird almost just makes it worse.
Purdue fans don't think of themselves as "students who are very proud to have attended Purdue University" or "townies who grew up around West Lafayette," haha ... they're "Boliermakers." As they grow up cheering for Purdue and/or attend PU, they buy into the "mythology" and "lore" (for lack of a better word) of the Boilermaker identity, and students have fun expressing this in a number of ways, such as wearing funny hats to the games. If we don't go the WWII route and we are just dying to have some type of imagery that isn't dependent on orange and blue letters (specifically one lonely "I"), then I think Honest Abe is a winner. In an age where people are picking apart the legacy of nearly every past and present President, Lincoln truly rises above the rest in terms of popularity and being revered. And our state is called the Land of Lincoln ... it's already done for us!
when kingfishers and other ideas are thrown around are people saying/expecting we change our name? Like Illinois Fighting KingFishers? Personally, I'm against any name change. We can have someone in a colorful suit high-fiving children and an occasional alternate logo of a bird or something else while maintaining Fighting Illini. Sort of like the bama elephant
I never thought of going full MiLB team.
The Illinois Flying Chanclas or Sod Poodles are great choices.
Nobody is seriously suggesting this.
Yes, I think this is what proponents of a new mascots envision.
People take this mascot thing way too seriously in my opinion. It's supposed to be fun. If everyone took mascots as seriously as this board we'd never have any of these, and the world would be a worse place for it:
None of these mascots have anything to do with their team name really. The Kansas City Chiefs, who are kind of in a similar predicament to us, have a Wolf mascot. Honestly, I think they should mock up a bunch of these mascots, run them out at games simultaneously and see which gets the best response from kids. Probably won't be the Doughboy and that's fine, because mascots aren't for us grownups.
redwingillini11
- North Aurora
When will this nonsense end?
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
The article makes it pretty clear what the motivation for this is.
The anti-Chief crowd is intent on forcing something into the void left when Chief retired. We just don't need it IMO.
Honest question please. I’m an alum from the early 80’s, so I’m a dinosaur compared to many of you. And since then I’ve lived pretty far away from Illinois. So I really don’t have a feel for what is going on with this kingfisher mascot business. The people who support this — do they really think this is a good idea, or is it a lampoon / mockery? From a distance, it’s reminding me of when British people wanted to name a new research ship “Boaty McBoatface”.
I don't think it's a mockery. Probably a mix of some sincere people and others who just like the attention of never letting this die, even though they 'won' many years ago.
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