The mascot debate

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#126      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
Ill in Cols said:
I'm not sure the young lady who got the bird thing going understands anything about sports. She thinks it's important to have "something goofy on the sidelines"? Honest to God? We've never had a mascot and don't need one now.
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Yeah, I can respect the opinion that the Chief is never coming back and that it's more trouble than it's worth to go the respectful World War I route. I disagree with the latter opinion, but I do respect it. However, I genuinely cannot wrap my mind around the opinion that the Illini *need* a dumb/goofy mascot on the sidelines. We just simply do not, and WHATEVER we come up with will immediately be hated by a much larger percentage of our fans and donors than were ever bothered by the Chief, let alone bothered by not having a mascot. It's a terrible idea, IMO, and I think people are just bored.
 
#127      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
bleedsorangenblue said:
Those who think we don't need a mascot are being short-sighted and will find one foisted upon them at some point in time. As much as I agree that a goofy bird is not the way to go, that is where we are headed if someone doesn't come up with a better alternative. If you google winged warrior, you will see some fearsome respectful humanoid examples of what we could have as an alternative to the Chief. Someone with some art skills need to put together an example using orange and blue colors.
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I respectfully disagree. There really isn't some loud call for a mascot. It would be different if we never had a mascot/symbol in the first place. You are never going to replace the Chief, and our nickname (IMO) will never be changed from the Fighting Illini ... so it just seems pointless.
 
#128      

the juiceman cometh

T
the juiceman cometh
Fighter of the Nightman said:
Yeah, I can respect the opinion that the Chief is never coming back and that it's more trouble than it's worth to go the respectful World War I route. I disagree with the latter opinion, but I do respect it. However, I genuinely cannot wrap my mind around the opinion that the Illini *need* a dumb/goofy mascot on the sidelines. We just simply do not, and WHATEVER we come up with will immediately be hated by a much larger percentage of our fans and donors than were ever bothered by the Chief, let alone bothered by not having a mascot. It's a terrible idea, IMO, and I think people are just bored.
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I've been mostly in the "we don't need a mascot" camp for a while, and alternatively the completely ambivalent camp as well. But a recent personal experience kind of changed my perspective a bit.

This week we had a family outing to a Bulls game, including my 5-year-old son who hasn't shown any interest in sports yet. He had a tough time initially with the noise and crowd, but after I pointed out Benny the Bull and he watched his antics for a while, he started to acclimate and feel more comfortable. To my complete surprise, this morphed into a genuine interest in the game, cheering for every Bulls basket, chanting "Defense", all of that. And that's when the simple realization set in. A mascot isn't for me. It isn't for any of you. It's not for anyone who reads this board. It's for the kids. And if having some goofy mascot helps foster Illini fandom for a new generation, what's the harm in that? I think we take this stuff way too seriously sometimes. It's a game after all. It's supposed to be fun.
 
#129      

SuperMetroid

SuperMetroid
Evanston
SuperMetroid
the juiceman cometh said:
I've been mostly in the "we don't need a mascot" camp for a while, and alternatively the completely ambivalent camp as well. But a recent personal experience kind of changed my perspective a bit.

This week we had a family outing to a Bulls game, including my 5-year-old son who hasn't shown any interest in sports yet. He had a tough time initially with the noise and crowd, but after I pointed out Benny the Bull and he watched his antics for a while, he started to acclimate and feel more comfortable. To my complete surprise, this morphed into a genuine interest in the game, cheering for every Bulls basket, chanting "Defense", all of that. And that's when the simple realization set in. A mascot isn't for me. It isn't for any of you. It's not for anyone who reads this board. It's for the kids. And if having some goofy mascot helps foster Illini fandom for a new generation, what's the harm in that? I think we take this stuff way too seriously sometimes. It's a game after all. It's supposed to be fun.
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100%. Grown-!!! adults hand wringing about us potentially having a goofy bird or otter roaming the sidelines is hilarious to me.
 
#130      

Gary J

G
Gary J
Y'all are so uptight about this. The students of the present and future are more important than a bunch of old, rich, and mostly white alumnus.

Bring on the Kingfisher and let's have some fun!
 
#131      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
the juiceman cometh said:
I've been mostly in the "we don't need a mascot" camp for a while, and alternatively the completely ambivalent camp as well. But a recent personal experience kind of changed my perspective a bit.

This week we had a family outing to a Bulls game, including my 5-year-old son who hasn't shown any interest in sports yet. He had a tough time initially with the noise and crowd, but after I pointed out Benny the Bull and he watched his antics for a while, he started to acclimate and feel more comfortable. To my complete surprise, this morphed into a genuine interest in the game, cheering for every Bulls basket, chanting "Defense", all of that. And that's when the simple realization set in. A mascot isn't for me. It isn't for any of you. It's not for anyone who reads this board. It's for the kids. And if having some goofy mascot helps foster Illini fandom for a new generation, what's the harm in that? I think we take this stuff way too seriously sometimes. It's a game after all. It's supposed to be fun.
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Benny may be a Bull, but he's really the GOAT.

Benny The Bull Lol GIF by NBA
 
#133      

SKane

SKane
Tennessee
SKane
Let's think outside the box.

Some teams have fierce animal mascots (Badgers, Nittany Lions, Wildcats,Wolverines). Other teams have generic goofy mascots (Buckeyes).

We could have a pacifist mascot - maybe a capon that carries a white flag. During halftime, it could flap its wings aimlessly around the field and plant the white flag at the 50 yard line. Then it could squawk "Please don't hurt me!"

This should be okay with the NCAA and the BoT.
 
#134      

Mr. Tibbs

Mr. Tibbs
southeast DuPage
Mr. Tibbs
Illiniguy74 said:
Oklahoma vs Florida State game is s real barn burner. Listening to the Florida State war chant is both irritating and frustrating. Our symbol is neutered while Florida State's is celebrated.
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I HATE the NCAA , but lets be real , our own Admin did us in on all things Native American related to our school . There is basically no amount of money that we could scrounge up and give to NA organizations that would ever satisfy them

Its a completely different deal at FSU and their Admin
 
#135      

redwingillini11

redwingillini11
White and Sixth
North Aurora
redwingillini11
Mr. Tibbs said:
I HATE the NCAA , but lets be real , our own Admin did us in on all things Native American related to our school . There is basically no amount of money that we could scrounge up and give to NA organizations that would ever satisfy them

Its a completely different deal at FSU and their Admin
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This. This could have been an amazing opportunity to go all in at making this something to greatly benefit the Native American community through scholarship, education, financial support, etc. but instead our administration buried its head in the sand and tried to pretend like nothing ever happened. Fantastic. No one benefits anything now.
 
#136      

mattcoldagelli

mattcoldagelli
The Transfer Portal
mattcoldagelli
I know it's been said before, but the people thinking you can easily pull off "military, but make it whimsical" should take a quick look at Major Tuddy
1672620614763.jpeg


Why not just make him a pig?! Pigs are funny and Washington fans already dress up like pigs!
 
#138      

1970 John

1970 John
1970 John
mattcoldagelli said:
I know it's been said before, but the people thinking you can easily pull off "military, but make it whimsical" should take a quick look at Major Tuddy
View attachment 22451

Why not just make him a pig?! Pigs are funny and Washington fans already dress up like pigs!
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One would think that this would be offensive to the military, at least in our world of hypersensitivity. Actually, I do find it offensive that some marketing department “creatives” could, if I were a Redskins fan, make me embrace this abomination. What an insult to fans, thinking are so malleable that they’ll accept something as, well, goofy as this. Maybe they found some sitcom writers together to think this up. Maybe if they played a laugh track over the stadium PA system.

I think, though, this nails the thought process of the New Mascot crowd. Chancellor Brown, would you want this as your legacy?
 
#139      

Rap47

R
Rap47
The chief should be performing with the band half time show today. The people would then see there is no disrespect to any Indian being shown. The country could see the excitement generated.
 
#140      

OrangeSoda1

OrangeSoda1
OrangeSoda1
Our mascot can be a Chief. Check out the Peoria Chiefs baseball team. They use a Dalmatian with a fireman’s hat. Would be a great way to bring back the CHIEF war chant 😉
 
#143      

Illinirog70

Illinirog70
Illinirog70
Butkus68 said:
“Chief” calls during the 3 in 1 were loud and proud.
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I missed the Chief. First Illini game I ever attended without The Chief. A big loss. I loved that tradition. I remember when Fred Cash was Chief in the ‘60s. He was also on the team and had to sneak into the locker room the change right before halftime and then come back out late after he performed and put his fb uniform back on.He always got cheered for as he left and came back.
Such an honorable tradition! Like shooting off the cannon!

Anyone remember Jon Wright?
 
#147      

NJJ871

N
NJJ871
Illinirog70 said:
I missed the Chief. First Illini game I ever attended without The Chief. A big loss. I loved that tradition. I remember when Fred Cash was Chief in the ‘60s. He was also on the team and had to sneak into the locker room the change right before halftime and then come back out late after he performed and put his fb uniform back on.He always got cheered for as he left and came back.
Such an honorable tradition! Like shooting off the cannon!

Anyone remember Jon Wright?
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The good news is that none of the people who spent so much effort to get rid of the Chief were there given that they were almost exclusively people who never cared about the University of Illinois to start with.
 
#148      

the juiceman cometh

T
the juiceman cometh
Rap47 said:
The chief should be performing with the band half time show today. The people would then see there is no disrespect to any Indian being shown. The country could see the excitement generated.
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Sigh

It'll never happen again and continuing to beat this drum won't change anything. I was a huge chief fan when I was in school and had a bunch of chief apparel and everything. But he's gone and probably should be. If we're being honest, are a bunch of (predominantly white) sports fans really in the best position to judge what is or should be offensive to Native Americans, a group who's been subjected to almost every historical wrong one can imagine? How would people feel if some German soccer club adoped a mascot of explicitly Jewish origin. I think it'd be, at a minimum, cringeworthy, regardless of how dignified or positive the portrayal ended up being.

And I get that a lot of you loved the chief and want to hold out hope that he'll come back. If that's ever going to happen, which is highly doubtful (to understate the case), I don't think having some goofy animal would prevent it. You can still give the halftime show to the chief and have the goofy costume guy walking around high fiving kids and doing goofy dances during tv timeouts.
 
#149      

MustangWally

MustangWally
Mayfield
MustangWally
illiniwek55 said:
Prairie Dogs?????? The prairie dog was never native to Illinois.
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Illinois: The Prairie State
Dog: to hunt, track, or follow (someone) like a hound,
to be a persistent source of difficulty or distress,
to bother or pester (someone) persistently
 
#150      

Gary J

G
Gary J
the juiceman cometh said:
Sigh

It'll never happen again and continuing to beat this drum won't change anything. I was a huge chief fan when I was in school and had a bunch of chief apparel and everything. But he's gone and probably should be. If we're being honest, are a bunch of (predominantly white) sports fans really in the best position to judge what is or should be offensive to Native Americans, a group who's been subjected to almost every historical wrong one can imagine? How would people feel if some German soccer club adoped a mascot of explicitly Jewish origin. I think it'd be, at a minimum, cringeworthy, regardless of how dignified or positive the portrayal ended up being.

And I get that a lot of you loved the chief and want to hold out hope that he'll come back. If that's ever going to happen, which is highly doubtful (to understate the case), I don't think having some goofy animal would prevent it. You can still give the halftime show to the chief and have the goofy costume guy walking around high fiving kids and doing goofy dances during tv timeouts.
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Your post is the most logical take on the situation. I couldn't agree more.
 
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