This move was just another in a long line of moves by those with authority who are trying to appease the masses, rather than stand up for school tradition. I have yet to hear from any high-ranking members of this nation's Native American Tribes on the issue. Also, pretty much any team name is hurtful or insulting to some member of society. Maybe we should just do away with them all together. Would that fix everything then?

I graduated from McMurry University in Texas. Recently the NCAA said that the use of the nickname, The Indians, was not allowed. So now McMurry does not have a mascot. The school will continue the tradition of honoring Native American traditions and their culture. I believe that the NCAA should stay out of decisions of the individual schools as long as there are no rule violations going on. And this from an organization based in Indianapolis.

If this is the right decision, I want Notre Dame to change their mascot and team name. I'm Irish and find it humiliating......might as well throw in "drunk" with "Fighting Irish". By the way, how does a school with a French name come up with "Fighting Irish"?

Why is Florida State is allowed to run around on a horse and throw a spear in the field? Because they pay off the seminoles. Sadly, there are no direct tribes left for the Illini to pay off. How is it fair that they are allowed to keep their mascot because they pay off a tribe in Florida? The NCAA has some messed up priorities.

Think about how you feel about such teams as the Patiots, Cowboys, Lancers, and others. This is how Native Americans must feel about the Illini. Which is to say honored.

How in the world is having a half time show where a student pours his heart and soul into a rutine then NEVER talks about it afterwards something that is seen as offensive or perverted. It is a well orchastrated dance and a lot more spiritual and meaningful in its context than any laughable beat writer would ever understand. Should the next step be to change all the names of places that are American Indian? So it would no longer be the state of Delaware or South or North Dakota? And if so, then we have to make a spade a spade and say that the Fightin' Irish have to change their name. Not all Irishman fight, so its offensive. Besides that, this is different than the Cleveland Indians or the Washington Redskins, there isn't a satirical nose or a blatant stab at the stereotypes of one race. This isn't the Orangeman or the Redman or even the Golden Warriors with no other claim to American Indian heritage besides that. This is an authentic act with a real headdress and is done in a well done way. By denying this it is no better than having someone tell me I can never make up my own salsa dance because I am not Cuban. And besides if you have to ENFORCE "political correctness" it isn't really being politically correct, it is just being a sychophant and an appeaser. Shame on everyone that let this happen. College athletics are the hallmark of tradition in America and actions like these are we will soon have college names like the Utah Jazz in the NBA. Now if anyone has a gripe to be made, its New Orleans for that one! Get smart, get practical, and leave the whining at home. And I bet none of the people writing in will have ever seen the actual dance and will speak against it anyway. Do some research first.

What's going to be next? Hey, I know; let's protect the rights of protected animals like the Buffalo or the Eagle. Geez, I should work for the NCAA.

First of all I don't think you can consider the chief a mascot. The only time you see the chief is at halftime of a sporting event. He is not in uniform anyother time than that. If he goes then the Seminoles of Florida state are truly a disgrace and I don't care if the seminole tribe has said it is ok and backs him. Illinois had the backing for many years. We now have some that come to Illinois and say that the chief is a mockery to them. They knew full well deciding to come to Illinois that we had the long standing tradition. So why did you decide to come to Illinois, when you knew of the long standing tradition? Exercise your right to go to another fine upstanding University that you won't feel so humiliated. When I decided to look at schools to attend I took all of that into consideration before I went there. Keep the Fighting Illini logo!!!! It stands for much much more!!!

Florida State has created a huge scholarship fund benefiting the Seminole tribe, and worked very hard to improve life on their reservation and help preserve their history. That is why the Seminole Tribe has given FSU their blessing.

That said, it's probably time to get rid of Chief Osceola and Renegade. It does seem to conform to a lot of shameful stereotypes.

This issue has been in the spotlight for many, many years, starting with A.I.M. in the 60's. I personally don't see the harm of college teams using Native Tribes as mascots. (Seminoles, Chippewas) or even using acts of Native American culture, such as Warriors or Braves. I do have an issue with a couple of teams. First and foremost, I despise the name of the "Washington Redskins". Redskin is often seen as a derogitory term. (Yes, I know that the teams official response was referring to a tribe who used red body paint before going to battle) But that name has been commonly used in an derogitory manner. Could you imagine an expansion team naming themselves the Negros, Beaners, or Rednecks?
The second team is the Cleveland Indians. I don't take offense with the word, but more the mascot. I find Chief Wahoo a little offensive. Mascot are supposed to be cartoonish and fun, but the depiction of this Native American is basic sterotyping.
As a Native American.. I do cheer for teams with Native American significance, as long as it's not offensive. I guess I'll sum it up like this. "I'm a fan of the Seminoles, just not the Tomahawk Chop." ~Seattle Sam

Yeah, Florida State paid off the Seminole tribe. The tribe has assets over a billion dollars, but they need the extra 20 bucks FSU forks over. Don't be such a moron.

The University of Illinois honored Native Americans. Our Chief is not a mascot. THAT is a dishonor; to consider him a mascot. He is not some goofy charicature, nor is he a perversion of Native American culture. I can't even put into words how sad and disheartened I am. Other schools who love their traditions as much as we do in Illinois need to fight with everything they have so the same horrible thing doesn't happen to their schools and everyone who loves them.

Speaking from a topic closer to home, being the North Dakota Fighting Sioux and their situation, I am drawn to the obvious fact at hand. There are roughly 11,500 students that attend UND in a given semester and if given a poll, 11,498 would fail to realize why the Sioux tribe would be offended. What these 11,498 students would say, some more than others is that they are proud of their school, teams and history. How many have graduated and can say with conviction and pride that they were a "Fighting Sioux"... not to imply a derogatory, offensive term; but a sense of honor and belonging to your University. The mascot doesn't embody a sense of hate or malicious though, it is a focal point for the sense of pride, advanced knowledge, and belonging. With a population of roughly 20,000 sporting an unemployment rate of 45%, the Sioux Nation should focus more on the thousands of alumni, as well as present students and families that use their name with pride as a starting point for the rest of their lives and take pride that of the hundreds of Universities in America, countless thousands have chosen to be represented by their Nation; not in a sense of it's hostile and abusive nature, but of it's past, present and the future it will bring them.

This isn't a move of appeasing the masses. There was a poll taken by the radio station in town and it was a 10-1 margin that people thought it was the wrong thing to do, removing the Chief!! Why do we say the majority rules in this country, when all a very small minority with no vested interest has to do is complain, and if what they want isn't done, anyone opposed is a racist or bigot? I am not a racist or bigot, but I am a U of I alum. It makes me ill the way the Board of Trustees just caved in to the NCAA, and after Wednesdays game, I won't be attending any more Illini basketball or football games until the Chief is reinstated. My sincerest wish is that the U of I goes to the NIT tournament, hosts a game, and NO fans of the U of I attend, just to show support for the Chief. Did you know that the reason they caved is so they can host NCAA post-season events? Did you also know that the Board did not ban the Chief image, because the U of I makes millions of dollars each year on merchandise with the Chief logo, they just banned the actual Chief himself. What a bunch of hypocrites!!!!!

If you're going to ban Indian mascots, ban them all. Do not let a few get by. Illinois got a bad deal. There are no Illini Indians left, they were all killed off by the Miami, and it is the Miami that were mad about the Chief. Coincidence, Huh.

if native americans want to use this issue to grab headlines in the short run, let it happen... many years from now when they are remembered by only a few souls it will be thier own doing!!!! it would have been a better road to have their imput through these cheerleaders to promote thier glorious heritage!!!!!

No, no mascots should be banned. If the student bodies of the schools want to change (without the influence of policitical correctness) their mascot - then it should be done democratically. If you take this banning of mascots to the illogical extreme there would be no mascots because everyone/everything could be offended. These schools should just stand up to the NCAA, ACLU and any other organization or person who wants to ban an "offensive" mascot and tell them to shove it up their A** and leave us alone. And the same should go for the high school and lower school levels too.

Let's honor the Black people of this nation and start now,being February is Black History month. I'm sure we can find some dancers, afros, bones in hair and teeth, spears and all!!! Maybe some watermelons and chicken eaters too, then say we are honoring them!!!???

If some Native American nicknames are going to be banned, all teams across the board using a human as a mascot should be banned. In other words, Florida State shouldn't be allowed to be called the Seminoles. Notre Dame's Fighting Irish mascot may be among the most insulting in the country. Any college whose teams are called the Vikings should change their name because they may offend those of Scandanavian heritage. I guess West Virginia University's Mountaineer is offensive because he runs around with a coonskin hat and a rifle. Those schools using a nickname like Pirates or Buccaneers can be accussed of making light of criminals.
All of this politically correct nonsense needs to stop. Today, we live in a society where anything that offends anyone is quickly done away with. The PC crowd controls everything, including mascots. Just look at Virginia State University's Trojan. The last time I checked, Troy was located in Europe. Yet, Virginia State University uses an African American Trojan. Isn't that as insulting to those people who descended from that region in Europe as a white student portraying a Native American?

how about a team named the martians? would that still be politically insensitive even though there aren't actually any real martians? It probably would be to the people making these ridiculous rules.

You find it "humiliating" that Notre Dame is called the fighting irish? how does that humiliate YOU?!?! if anyone is truly this sensitive they should move to another country.

The next step is to eliminate all animal names because they could be offensive to animals. Or heck, they could be offensive to vegetarians. Of course team names like the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons would have to change, they could be offensive to religious folks. Maybe we could just require all NCAA teams to go by a color, like the NC State Reds or the Florida Blue & Orange.

You guys just don't get it! Native Indians are a race just like Blacks, Hispanics, Irish, etc.. If they are offended by these mascots or team names then it is wrong. If you don't think it is wrong then we might as well have teams like the Washington Honkeys, Harlem drive-by shooters, The El Paso Border Jumpers. There is no difference!

The high school I went to used to be known as the Indians and my university was the Hurons. Now they are the Phoenix and the Eagles. Most of the alums were against the changes and have suffered a loss of idenity because of it. In the universities' case it also suffered financially. I would guess that the vast majority of Native Americans would relate the same way as the Irish do to Notre Dame and the Greeks do to Michigan State, so what! My two almamaters should have combined their resources in support of a big yellow mascot and called themselves the "Big Birds."

I beleive this is the right thing to do. Few, if any of us know how it affects native americans. Imagine a white guy who paints his face black and does an "African American" dance with traditional African cloths......Do you think African Americans would be upset? YES!! Just because there are few Native Americans left does not make it ok.

My sister and I are 1/8th (yeah not much) Chippewa and she went to Central Michigan "Chippewas" and we were not offended. My father is 1/4th Chippewa and he thinks this is ridiculous. Grandma was 1/2 Chippewa and liked the Redskins (but only if the Packers weren't playing).....so if we don't care why should a bunch of NCAA admins?

I think that a person could take offence to pretty much anything. I think that it is a sad day in our "free" country when we cannot honor our past by using names and terms deemed "non-pc". Our history demands the acknowledgement of things that some might find offencive. No matter how many ACLU lawyers you throw at the good people of this country that will not change the fact that our government is deeply rooted in a Christian religion that involves God and that some of our history isn't going to be all fuzzy,warm, and happy. Terrible things have been done in the past. You learn from them. That is what makes us better humans. That is what makes us human. We have to remember and never forget. If it helps to do that by displaying and honoring peoples that have been wronged in the past so be it. Children see those Native American mascots and it draws interest. They go and learn of those noble people and the wrongs done to them. And hopefully that child sees what was done is wrong and that moment changes that one life for the better so that nothing like that will happen again. It is when we forget that we repeat. So if you are offended by our honoring the people of our past, I apologize. Not for our offence but for your ignorance and intolerance. You should be as ashamed of yourself as you are of your country. You are sad. Honor our past and those that have fallen they deserve more than a footnote.

What a joke. Chief Illiniwek is not some overstuffed, big headed, fuzzy cartoon character that runs around the sidelines like an idiot. I went to Univ of Illinois and anyone who has seen the Chief knows that his traditional halftime dance is taken very seriously by himself as well as the audience. If you ask a Native American directly, I would think that they would appreciate their culture being represented is such a professional and honoring manner. The NCAA is definitely throwing out the baby with the bathwater here.

I bet who is complaining doesn't even go to any of the games. I feel sorry for our Colleges that they can't have the Mascots they have had for years and years, something is really really wrong with our Country. Please don't let everyone keep the Mascots away from our College campus. Whoever is complaining should get a life.

While the schools might be "politically correct" concerning their use of their mascot, the fans are not and that is where the real problem lies. People wearing plastic feathers, cartoon caricature war paint and carrying cardboard spears are the equivalent of a school with Dr. King as an iconic symbol and the fans showing up in 1950’s black face. The NCAA should not allow some schools to keep their mascot while others do not. Fans with plastic feathers do not honor a proud race.

I think this is just another case of the over the top politcal correctness that is raging in the land....goodness sakes what next...let's not insult the turtles which are Holy creatures to five folks in Maryland...so Terps you gotta GO!

Florida State does pay the Seminole tribe, but they do not 'pay them off.' many Seminole Indians in the state of Florida are proud to have their tribe represented by an internationally recognized academic and athletic institution. in fact, FSU has written permission from the Seminole tribe to be able to use the the tribe's name as their mascot. that is the official reason as to why the school is allowed to keep their mascot, the NCAA did recently mention taking it away. also, the university offers courses in the history of the tribe, and celebrates the heritage that the tribe has. FSU's mascot of the Seminoles is in no way derogatory, but in all actuality is a celebration of the history and heritage of the Seminole Indians and north Florida.

Wow, I can't believe you quoted Dawn Turner Trice's column considering it was filled with outright lies about Chief Illiniwek. Anyone who has ever seen the Chief perform knows that her description of him could not have been more wrong. Choose better sources!

If you are going to hit them, hit them all... don't let Florida State slide by.

The school should have stood up and told the NCAA they'd abandon their mascot when Florida State did.


I agree with the guy who mentioned the 'Fighting Irish'. That is offensive. The Irish is one thing, but the Fighting Irish??? What if I had a 'backwards pollocks' or 'mathematicallly inclined asians' or 'wasted hippies' or 'rednecks' ??? Think those would swing?

I say they just ban all mascots, PETA's got plenty of money laying around. They can ride this wave and have animal mascots banned. 'A college student in a tiger suit is degrading to tigers int he wild.' Same argument.

I find the use of USC Torjans offensive. Due to Troy's historical aggresiveness.

UNC, gotta get rid of 'tarheels.' It's offensive to people who had to make a living working with the Tar for the royal navy.

Duke, gotta drop 'Devils' That is religiously offensive.

So. Carolina, 'GameCocks' isn't chicken fighting illegal?

To the 8,000,000 schools htat use Aggies... as a farmer I find that offensive.

Kansas... do you guys really know what 'JayHawks' were???

'Fighting Irish' nuff said.

OU... 'Sooners' what about the people who had their land stolen during that rush?

Wake Forest... Demon Deacons... religious conflict

I could go all day...

A lot of the teams that have mascots that resemble Native Americans keep their mascots because they see their team name as paying homage to the Native Americans. There has been a lot of talk about the Washington Redskins and if they should change their name. The Redskins chose their name in 1933, one year after being the Boston Braves, as a way of honoring the Native American heritage of our nation. Why does everything have to change? The Redskins are still paying homage to the heritage of the Native Americans. So are the Cleveland Indians, the FLorida State Seminoles and the Kansas City Chiefs. What's next? We ban all animal mascots because theyre an endangered species?

The worst part about this whole decision was the way that the University went about it. This decision was made by the head of the Board of Trustees without any consulting from the student body or the student senate. The announcement was made at 6:30 am on a friday morning in the hopes that none of the students would realize what was going on. The announcement was made as a press release on the UIUC website and the only time they talked to the media was in a small, closed doors affair. The Board of Trustees were all too cowardly to face the student body and alumni and really face what it was that they were doing. As a student of U of I who was raised watching the Chief and who was taught what Chief Illiniwek really means I will fight this decision that the Board of Trustees made with tails between their legs.

Great, let's get rid of all Native American culture and history from our society so we never have to talk about them again. Then the Europian WASP society will finally have taken over completely. Without such symbols as Chief Illiniwek soon all Native American societies will be fogotten.

Anyone who says that the "Fighting Irish" is insulting to those of Irish heritage is just a numbskull. The name was first uttered by an opponent as an insult but the team and students loved it enough to keep it. It's now one of the most revered nicknames in all of sports. To argue that is just lunacy.

Personally, I think it's a bunch of b.s. maybe we should ban the name Black History month too because black people dont like being referred to as black, or did they change their minds this week too like the native americans or are they indians? it's all about racism, maybe we should just blame President Bush, naw I think the THE NCAA SUCKS!

I dont know why some people have to complain about something? And why do we have to be tolerant of them? Why can't they tolerate us and realize our views on tradition of the school?

The state of Illinois is named for the Illinois River which was named by French explorers after the indigenous Illiniwek people, a consortium of Algonquian tribes that thrived in the area. The word Illiniwek means "tribe of superior men." I guess honoring a tribe of superior men is offensive.

Political correctness is ruining innocent sporting events not only at the college level, but in high schools as well. Instances such as this need to be held at the local or state level. The NCAA should stay the hell out. If there is something that needs to be addressed - then fine. But I do not see what the big deal is with Chief Illiniwek.

Anyone who says that the "Fighting Irish" is insulting to those of Irish heritage is just a numbskull. The name was first uttered by an opponent as an insult but the team and students loved it enough to keep it. It's now one of the most revered nicknames in all of sports. To argue that is just lunacy.

I guess this means we can thank the P.C. morons out there for taking away something Illini fans cared about. Hopefully everyone that had a hand in this decision feels better about themselves today. What a sad day for the University of Illinois.

The Chief, Chief Illinwek, may be gone physically, but he will never leave my heart. I may only be 17 years old, but the chief has already left its mark on my life. The first time I saw the chief was at a football game when I wasn't even a year old, although I don't remember that particular dance, I am sure it is one of the reasons why I will never forget the chief. My dad has season tickets to football games, and as usual I will still shout CHIEF at half time when it is time for him to make an entrance, and even if the fight song or the alma matter isn't played, I know the stadium will still sing the songs and cheer voraciously when the Chief's dance would be over. To wrap this up NCAA you can take away my symbol and keep feeding people all of your crap, but you cannot take away the spirit that Chief Illiniwek has instilled upon me. As I leave this blog, I must leave you with the blood-curdling yelp OSKEE-WOW-WOW!!!!!!!!!

I think you shouldn't have an opinion on this unless you ARE Native American. I DON'T care if YOU think that Native American mascots/ Symbols are respectable and what not.

Mike,
Champaign, IL

I see both sides. On the one hand the Chief's dance is nothing like a traditional dance and that could be a legitimate thumb in the eye to Native Americans. On the other hand I don't see why the University couldn't have simply been told to tone it down and make the Chief's "war dance" more sympathetic.

On the other hand, back in the 60's cartoonist Al Capp satirized "Students Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything" (SWINE). Well, today those students have grown up to university administrators, professional protesters, and other such riff-raff. Everything has to go just their way or else because they're still wildly indignant about nearly everything. What's next? Will they protest USC on the grounds that their Trojan is wearing Roman armor instead of respecting Bronze Age Aegean warriors?

I wait to see what's next for the grown-up SWINE to wax indignant over.

Is it possible, here, to get a voice of reason? Listen, I salivate mightily over the impressively revealing young ladies who show off their assets on these pages without having to say a word. Neither SI nor the lunatic fan (and I count myself among the lunatics) has a leg to stand on. Just because we've been doing something a long time doesn't make it right. Tradition didn't allow women to vote, or African Americans to count as more than two fifths a person. Now the state of Illinois is offering us a great candidate for the 200 presidency... but should we not vote for him because it goes against tradition?

Change always sucks. The Wizards are nolonger the bullets, which is certainly a good thing. The Redskins should be an embarassing memory, not a contemporary reality. I suspect that dressing up in a tarnished costume doing a poor rendition of a supposedly tribal dance is offensive. Look back at people in blackface -- that got laughs for a long time, and people didn't think it was insanely offensive then.

I want to continue to objectify the women on these pages. They are damn fine objects. And I want to keep cheering for my team the way I am used to. But times change.

Who among us can say with confidence how offensive the Illini dance is to Native Americans in Illinois and elsewhere? Clearly enough of them are upset enough to request a change, and clearly enough others are upset enough to do something about it.

The South nearly secceded from our nation because they didn't want any "politically correct" do-gooders to outlaw slavery. But that was an idea whose time had come. Maybe the Illini have earned their respite after all.

What a waste. Why not use this as an opportunity to help native americans? If the school wants to keep the mascot, make them give x amount of college scholarships to native americans each year. Instead we are wasting a ton of money in court, in changing the mascots, and the school names....what a waste.

This is just another senseless act by Myles Brand. If ever there was a danger to college sports, it is NCAA president Myles Brand!

What a shame. I would be honored and proud if a school or team wanted to compete under the name of my ancestors. What a tribute to a group of persons to have their name chosen to symbolize and represent a competitve school or team. No one wants their mascot to be "The Weasly Frenchmen" and there's a reason for that. The American Indian tribes should be celebrated and now, ironically, the liberal ACLU types who claim to have the tribes "best interest at heart" are the very ones insuring that their cultural exposure and relevance are extinguished.

Why is Miles Brand on such a crusade to end Native American mascots? It seems to me there are much bigger issues in the NCAA than this, but we are talking about a man who when he left his presidency at Indiana University it was ranked as the number 1 party school. A great tradition that honors Native Americans has come to an end. If it is so offensive than why do Native Americans today still perform these acts in front of audiences across the country. Oh, yeah I forgot they make money there but not from the University of Illinois. Political correctness has done nothing but add to the human anger level when idiots are left to make these decisions. I hope North Dakota wins their lawsuit against the NCAA. Someone needs to expose Miles Brand for the buffoon he is.

Whenever you claim to want to "honor" somebody or something, you better be absolutely sure you understand what that person or thing is. In the case of Native American cultures, most people in the United States today are sadly ignorant of the hundreds to thousands of different, *distinct* cultural groups, languages, and sets of customs that existed before European colonization. Chief Illiniwek is not based on any solid knowledge of Native Americans living in Illinois, but instead draws some on historic Plains tribes and many very general Indian stereotypes. How is it honoring Native Americans to say "you pretty much all look and seem the same to us, this chief represents how we like to think of you, and even though we conquered you, you should be grateful to us representing you this way"?

Can someone explain to me how the NCAA has the right to determine what's offensive or not? They might as well tell me that I'm offended by the term "redneck". Of course I am honored when called a redneck, not offended, but that's the extent of what the NCAA is doing, which is wrong. Unless someone is honestly offended by a name and has actually said so, the NCAA should keep it's nose out of this. If anything, the NCAA are the biggest racists here. They're saying that they're so great that they can tell what's offensive, not the people themselves. It makes me sick.

It is a shame that such a proud tradition rooted in respect for Native American culture has been trashed. A vocal minority with a misplaced chip on their shoulder wins again.

The NCAA has no business inserting themselves into this arena. The State of Illinois is named after the tribe; it seems reasonable to have the major state university follow this lead and honor the state's namesake. Most people would not have known of the Illini tribe were it not for the university and Chief Illiniwek.

Man, Purdue must be bummed, as they'll have to dump their mascot to appease all of the offended boiler makers nation-wide. Needless to say, never order a boilermaker at a bar again, either.

The Fighting Irish? Also offensive (actually, far more potentially offensive than most of the Indian names).

Vikings? Offensive.

Buccaneers? Offensive.

Raiders? Offensive (see Bucs).

Dolphins? They're mammals too, you know!

"White" Sox? What's THAT supposed to mean?!

Also, have the descendents of the Native Americans considered that perhaps these sports icons help to maintain awareness of their dwindling culture in the mainstream, even if not truly representative of it?

It's an honor, people. Teams don't go by self-mocking names. They go by monickers they respect.

My wife currently attends McMurry in Abilene, Texas. And yes, the NCAA says we dishonor the integrity of Native Americans by having "Indians" as the mascot. So the college did drop the mascot and now it is "The McMurry Football team" or "The McMurry Basketball team". Stupidity. When the NCAA forces colleges to change their mascots under the false belief that all colleges with Native American mascots are dishonorable. And yet the NCAA doesn't look into what each individual college does to promote awareness of Native American issues. Such a pity. I agree with an earlier comment, why doesn't the NCAA go after ALL mascots? The Fighting Irish? Do they all fight? This is political correctness gone amuck. Perhaps the NCAA will accomplish what they set out to do, complete ignorance about Native Americans, customs, etc. I agree that the "tomahawk chop" and such are annoying as well as degrading. But that is only a drop in the water compared to the good that colleges, such as McMurry, do. And by the way, my great grandfather was Shawnee. I am proud of my past, and proud my wife chose such an honorable university.

This violation of school’s rights by the NCAA in 2005 and the recent reactionary decision by the trustees of the University of Illinois (U of I) to that NCAA arbitrary “policy” has it’s basis in one, and only one, motive --- MONEY. Were the decision of the U of I anything other than money (such as some higher order theoretical concern for the sociologic implications of potentially offending what is nowadays known as a “special interest group”), I can assure you the “retirement” of “the Chief” would have occurred decades ago. Why am I so sure? Because I am an alumnus of the U of I, having attended the school decades ago. And, decades ago, there were those who objected to “the Chief” just as in more recent years. At that time, the University and its Board of Trustees were not spineless beaurocrats who put dollars above principle. Those who then considered the same arguments of today very carefully came to the correct conclusion that “the Chief” represents something very special to more than just a bunch of college kids who get together for a sporting event. They knew that a “hostile and abusive American Indian nickname” was never what “the Chief” was about. They understood and appreciated the history pre-dating “the Chief” AT Illinois, and understood the history OF Illinois itself. “The Chief” represents not only the University of Illinois sports teams and their spirit, but is an honored representative of the State of Illinois’ flagship institution of higher education, and on an even larger scale, represents the State of Illinois itself. First observing, then feeling the deep respect, the wonder, the awe of the powerful history represented through “the Chief” as the younger people of today express so caringly, so lovingly, I have to ask myself, “Why would I want anything else as a symbol of my place of higher education, indeed of my state?” What else could be so vibrant, so elegant, so alive, so meaningful and appropriate as a link to my past AT and IN Illinois? How noble and perfect for this purpose….”the Chief”. As I wrote 02 Oct 2006, “to the NCAA, the issues you should be addressing are no less important but, to use sports terms you may understand, you are ‘out of bounds’, you have used what should be called ‘illegal procedure’, committed a ‘double technical foul’ (for both not investigating the issue completely, then passing judgment on an issue that should be out of your jurisdiction entirely), allowed ’too many men on the field’ with blanket rulings and, in fact, committed an ‘illegal block in the back’ and ‘flagrant facemask’ to all those who HAVE researched the issue, particularly at Illinois, long before you and your heavy handed approach came on the scene, blowing your whistles and throwing your flags at something you simply don’t understand. For this, you should be ‘ejected from the game’, sent to the showers, and be disciplined yourselves. Hail to the Orange, Hail to the Blue. Hail to “the Chief”, and all he represents. Go Illini!!!”
So now the Board of Trustees of the U of I have only further disgraced themselves and proved a frank embarrassment to it’s current students and hundreds of thousands of alumni through the ages, acting as a puppet, bowing to the God of the almighty dollar that hosting NCAA post-season events represents, all the while under the pretense of “doing the most appropriate thing for the University”. Hogwash! To a person, what the Board of Trustees has done is deceitful, misguided, shameful, and sets a horrible mercenary precedent. They should all be replaced immediately for such moral weakness and action.
And for the record, with all due respect, the Chicago Tribune’s Dawn Turner Trice, as quoted, is simply wrong…very wrong indeed.
Hail to the Orange, Hail to the Blue. Hail to “the Chief”, and all he represents. Go Illini!!!

I live in Abilene, Texas where McMurry University is located. Over the years the university has shown nothing but the utmost respect for Indian culture and has worked hard to educate the public about the various Native American lifestyles. However, they are now forbidden to simply call their mascot the Indian while large schools like Florida State can pay off Indian tribes and do whatever they want. It seems to me that the NCAA has gone ridiculous on political correctness while quietly turning a blind eye to those who put money in the right hands.

Something everyone has to keep in mind is, unless they are Native Americans, you have no idea what's going on. All I have heard is "it's harmless" "it honors Native Americans" and "it's tradition". To the Fighting Irish comment, feel free to take that up with people. Odds are you'll find people who feel the same way.

The problem is, Native Americans are the most oppressed people in the history of our nation. They have been displaced, lied to, taken advantage of, raped, murdered, and history has found a way to glorify those who oppressed them. If you were a member of a race that had experienced the same thing, then you saw a white person dress up as one of you and dance "an authentic Indian dance"(which, research has shown, it is anything but) then maybe you'd understand where they're coming from.

Lot's of people are going to be upset about me saying this, but it's true. It's easy to say what we say from our position, but place yourself in the shoes of Native Americans (the Illini don't even exist anymore...they were obliterated by white people), know your past (the correct one, not the one Hollywood has a tendency to show) and you might see things just a little different.

Also, the top Native American tribes have been fighting this for a while. The Sioux are fighting their own battle, and the Seminoles are split. Most were sent out to Oklahoma when Florida was taken over to live in desolation. They're pretty upset. The ones left in Florida don't care because they get paid. Schools can say they are honoring a culture, but if the culture is offended by what the school says is "honoring" is that really honoring?

"Think about how you feel about such teams as the Patiots, Cowboys, Lancers, and others. This is how Native Americans must feel about the Illini. Which is to say honored."
To respond to that, the Patriots and Cowboys were darn successful, and both oppressed the Native Americans pretty hardcore. Why would Native Americans feel honored if they lost most of the battles?

There was a girl up here in Valparaiso, IN that's Native American. When the Portage Indians played her high school for homecoming, signs everywhere went up that said "kill the indians" "beat the indians" etc. One restaraunt had an Indian manequin hanging by a rope. The girl asked the owner to take it down, and he cussed her out and booted her from the resteraunt.

Again, know the history. Know it right. Maybe then it'll make sense.

The Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma are the closest living descendants of the Illiniwek Confederacy. Ever since April 2000 the Peoria Tribe's leadership has been AGAINST the use of the Chief. This is the tribe that U of I would have to pay off. Instead U of I ignored the position of the Peoria tribe.

The retirement of the Chief was an inevitablity. Why would U of I want to be represented by a tribe that was wiped out not by warfare, but by starvation.

The plain truth is that it IS offensive to Indians.
Maybe not everyone thinks it is but could you use a African warrior in the same way?

"This is an authentic act with a real headdress and is done in a well done way." How do you know the dance is not offensive? Are you Indian? Was he taught to dance by a Indian? It's a white guy out there jumping around acting the fool!

Whats wrong with a animal mascot? Lions, Tigers, Hawks are all good strong symbols.

This all goes back to white privlege, if you think it's alright it must be because whites said so.

And tell the truth, the University did not come to this decision out of the goodness of their heart, they have been getting emails, letters, phone calls from Indians all over the country for quite a while over this issue, they finally backed down.

Our next mission: any other team with a Indian mascot.

I dont get how something as a traditional indian dance with a tradional wardrobe can be an insult to a particular culture. I would be honored to have a University such as the U of I named after my culture and heritage. Whats next? Lets rename the state of Indiana because if you take that "a" off at the end you have Indian. Thats not right. Then you will have to change the city Indianapolis and the Colts, Pacers, etc. it will never stop because they are too many people who think their rights are violated. Dont like how things are done here in the States there are other countries we would be glad to ship you off to. See how you like things somewhere else. Bring back the Chief!

"How do you know the dance is not offensive? Are you Indian? Was he taught to dance by a Indian? It's a white guy out there jumping around acting the fool!"

Actually the dance is based off of a type of dance called a fancy dance which was a kind of contest dance (not religious as many seem to think). The movements are bigger and over exaggerated because you have to consider the performance locale - a football stadium vs. the intimate environment of a dance contest - it HAS to be bigger for the audience to even see it. And as a matter of fact, yes the original Chief back in the 20s DID go to a Native American reservation where he studied and learned the dance from the source. The regalia is also authentic, made by a Sioux chief and given to the University (all previous regalia were also authentic, the original is in the archives at the University). Unfortunately in all the controversy the facts seem to have been lost...as usual.

"You guys just don't get it! Native Indians are a race just like Blacks, Hispanics, Irish, etc.. If they are offended by these mascots or team names then it is wrong. If you don't think it is wrong then we might as well have teams like the Washington Honkeys, Harlem drive-by shooters, The El Paso Border Jumpers. There is no difference"

Bull crap. No one named their team the "Dirty Injuns." That would be offensive. This is no different than the "Cowboys" or the "49ers". They are what they are.

Let me start out by saying I am 1/8th Fox portions of which called southern Illinois home at one time. My uncle, being 1/4th Fox, played football for the Illini. My entire family finds this outrageous including my 1/2 Fox grandmother. She has recently suffered several strokes and struggles to form sentences, but she was cognizant enough to cry during the Chief's final performance.

Were the rituals performed by Chief Illiniwek 100% accurate? No. Were they disrespectful? No. The Chief did not ever, in my recollection, dance around and "whoop" like an idiot contrary to some nameless Trib columnists (who I feel owes me about 3 minutes of my life back for wasting my time reading her appallingly slanted article). The portrayal of the Chief was taken very seriously by those who have portrayed him throughout the years. No one in my family has found the Chief offensive ever. My brother actually would attend anti-Chief rallies in order to proudly display his Chief shirt, shorts, towel, and blanket. In short, we have always been proud to have Chief Illiniwek represent us in a respectful manner.

I'm so happy so many have taken up OUR cause and have run the Chief out of town. I could understand These people sicken me the most. When will this PC torrent stop? It seems most who have been against the Chief always make sweeping generalities about how Native Americans have wanted him gone for years. Suprisingly enough, our favorite Trib columnist made at least two such generalities in her column (now she owes me 4 minutes). If I had to estimate, I would say the Native American community is about 50-50 on the issue of the use of Native Americans as symbols of universities/sports teams. The side which is not being heard will be the side to always complain the loudest. If the Native Americans offended by this (and the idiots who are "helping" us oh, so much) want to go after negative representations, I am all for that. Since the fate of Chief Illinwek has been decided for us, I will continue to write the NCAA and the University of Illinois denouncing their actions and imploring reconsideration. I would be in agreement with all these people IF I felt the Chief had ever portrayed Native Americans without respect.

Chief Illinwek will NEVER die as long as we remember him in our hearts. My family and I will continue to buy anything we can find displaying the Chief and will prominently display this image in remembrance of a wonderful tradition.

Steve
Normal, IL

no, not really cause they're not a thing to get pushed off the side and they stand for something and u just got to believe it cause their the first ones here not ncaa.

Five generations of Illinois alumni have gained inspiration and connection with each other and our school through the Chief. The halftimes of Illinois home football and basketball games have always been something to look forward to, and no matter what the score is the tradition of the music and the Chief's appearances connoted emotion, pride and spirit. There are plenty of U of I alumni of part or full Native American ancestry who completely understand the reverence and positive feelings the Chief evokes and they have courageously gone on record to say so. These people, like the vast majority of alumni, current students and Illinois taxpayers have been ignored. How dare the NCAA have the audacity to say that something so heartfelt as the symbol of Chief Illiniwek is "hostile" and "abusive." And how unfortunate the Illinois Board of Trustees succumbed to the NCAA's blackmail. For those who say, "how can you justify honoring a tribe or race of Indians that was virtually wiped out by the actions of white man?", I respond.....that is all the more reason to remember that they were here first, that they roamed and lived on this land and they had a river, a state and a great University named after them. Long live the spirit of Chief Illiniwek.

I am not an alumni of Illinois but for many years I went to football games in Memorial now Zuppke field. My two best memories of my times there was watching the 63 Illini ( Butkus and Co.) tie Ohio State in a game that Illinois was so supposedly mismatched that the tickets were bordered in BLACK and watching Chief Illiniwek at the halftime shows in the numerous other games I saw.

I could understand the Native American position if Chief Iliniwek was portrayed as some sort of cartoon character like the "Minstrels" that others refer to, or as some silly overstuffed polyester mascot, but the experience was nothing like that at all.

There was a reverence as he appeared and the entire crowd, alums, guests, and students sang the Alma Mater Song. It was as moving as any experince I ever saw in a church. No other college or university had anything that came close to that.

Now FSU, USC, and Notre Dame have been used as examples, but what of some of the other teams. The Cleveland Indian to me is the most repulsive cartoon I have ever seen. He looks like "Lonesome Polecat' from the old Lil Abner comic strip and I have thought that for years.

I would like to see the U of I and Native American representatives get together and come up with a compromise in which Chief Illiniwek could be portrayed with dignity and reverence to the Native Americans and by a Native American student. It would seem that this would be a solution that would solve both issues- tradition and racial sensitivity.

I can't speak for the other schools whose honored traditions are suffering around the country. However, as a grad student at The Florida State University, it is almost painfully obvious how strong the relationship between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and our university is. Besides the fact that the Tribe makes the official uniforms for Chief Osceola, our cooperation extends beyond athletics to the point that many facilities on campus honor the Seminoles through names or images, from rooms to statues. The NCAA may be the supreme athletic sanctioning body in the U.S., but as long as they continue to make ill-advised decisions, we will continue to exercise our prerogative to fight them off, as we did with this one. Go Noles!

Miles Brand was President of Indiana University, suddenly the pressure to get rid of "The Chief" intensifies. I smell a conspiracy. Miles don't you and Kelvin have some more cell phone calls to make? You can have Eric Gordon just leave us the Chief.

I can't believe this discussion is taking place. I feel the use of American Indians as mascots should be considered a compliment. The toughness and commitment American Indians fought with, is the reason they were used. Somebody needs to get a little thicker skin and stop thinking that everyone is making fun of them!!

There is only one reason anyone is against the use of Native American names, white guilt. Sad little liberals with no cause need to help save the Indians about 400 years too late.

Let Chief Illiniwek go. He was created for a game against Pennsylvania. After the dance, Chief shared a peace pipe with a student dressed as a Quaker and they walked off the field arm in arm. As with most of these mascots, they are based on MYTHS busted long ago. Would you argue in favor of a U. of Miss. Rebel mascot who walked off the field arm in arm with a student dressed as a slave?

The only reason UI chose to do away with the Chief is $$$$$. The NCAA was going to sanction them if they did not cease. They could care less about who was offended. Indian Nations all over the country had been asking them for years to stop.

This is simply a crock. The NCAA, in their normal overbearing natur, decided to become PC, and impose their views on all member schools. Just another case of campus PC running wild. They typical college or university in America today does not want free thinkers, they want all people on their campus to think and act alike, and if you don't, then you are gone.

I just wished that I would have kept an acticle that SI did a number of years ago about this same issue. I do not remember the exact numbers/percentages.... but when SI went and actually ASKED Native Americans about their Tribes being used as mascots in High Schools and College the OVER WHELMING majority of them said that it they were okay with it as long as the it was done tastefully....this is nothing more that the NCAA bowing down to Political Correctness by appeasing the FEW over the MANY....

This is a way to think about using someones ethenicity in a mascott or incorrect representation. This is a quote from a poster I saw recently. "Pittsburgh Negroes, Kansas City Jews, San Diego Caucasians and Cleveland Indians." “Maybe Now You Know How Native Americans Feel." We need to be sensitive to all people and races. Using Native American Mascots is truly offensive to
this group. Think about it!!!