SI.com - SI On Campus - The Vent: 02/18/2007

2/23/2007 12:25:00 PM

SIOC Goes to the Movies

Somehow, Borat was not nominated for Best Picture this year.

Photo by John Stanton/WireImage.com

The big sports event of the upcoming weekend is Wisconsin at Ohio State, Sunday at 4 pm, ET on CBS. The big event in the entertainment world is the Academy Awards, so let's talk movies. What was the best movie you saw this year? What was the best sports flick over the past 12 months? And lastly, were there any good college movies this past year?

We're gonna say Borat was the best film of the year. We'll go with Talladega Nights as the best sports movie. And we can't resist taking a cheap shot here. For worst movie of the year, hands down, Dane Cook's awful Employee of the Month. What do you say?

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2/20/2007 10:58:00 AM

Should Native American Mascots be Banned?

Illinois students show their support for Chief Illiniwek. Did school officials do the right thing in banning the mascot?

Photo by AP

As reported last week , Chief Illiniwek, the 81-year-old Native American mascot of the University of Illinois, is going into retirement after Wednesday's game. In August 2005, Illinois was named as one of 18 schools banned from hosting postseason games for using "hostile and abusive American Indian nicknames." The school unsuccesfully tried several avenues of appeal, but finally decided to pull the plug on the mascot (though the team's, Fighting Illini, will stay intact).

Dan Maloney, who portrays the current Chief Illiniwek, told SIOC that it isn't as much an insult to Native Americans, as "a part of the experience of going not only to a University of Illinois sporting event, but of going to the University of Illinois." On the other hand, the Chicago Tribune's Dawn Turner Trice wrote yesterday that the university made the correct decision because Chief Illiniwek "took powerful religious and cultural symbols and perverted them."

While some schools simply decided it was easier to appease the NCAA and change their team names were (St. John's -- from Redmen to Red Storm; Marquette -- from Warriors to Golden Eagles), others (Florida State Seminoles, North Dakota Fighting Sioux) aren't budging so easily.

Today, we want to know what you think. Did Illinois school officials make the right move in eliminating Chief Illiniwek, even though a New York Times poll revealed that more than 9,100 students voted in favor of keeping the mascot while 4,000 voted against it. Or are these symbols a slight to Native American culture that needs to be rectified now. Or should they be taken on a case by case basis. What's your take?

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2/19/2007 11:55:00 AM

Who will be Cutting the Nets in Atlanta?

Florida may have lost on Saturday, but we still think the Gators are the team to beat. Who do you think is the nation's top team?

Photo by AP

What a weekend! Britney Spears is bald, Charles Barkley is faster than a senior citizen and Tom Brady is expecting. Buried within these major storylines is that fact that top-ranked Florida finally lost, ending a 17-game winning streak with a 83-70 loss to pesky Vanderbilt. While few (okay, nobody) would argue that the Commodores are a better team than the Gators, it did show Florida can be beat – and one bad day is all it takes in the NCAA tournament.

Either Ohio State or Wisconsin will be the new No. 1, but is either team better than the Gators? We say no. Florida has more talent, better teamwork and more big game experience. Unless one of their big guns (Horford, Noah, Green, Brewer) go down with an injury, we don't see any reason why the Gators shouldn't be the team to beat heading into the NCAA tournament.

Does Florida deserve to stay No. 1? We think so. A road loss in the SEC is nothing to be ashamed of. Sure, North Carolina has plenty of talent, but the Tar Heels are young and have lost twice to Virginia Tech. Ohio State and Wisconsin can duke it out in the Big Ten, but when all is said and done the Gators have the goods.

Today we want to know who you think is the best team in the nation and who you think will be cutting down the nets in Atlanta.

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