More Mascot Nonsense (my title)

USA Today College Hockey ^

[wbill]

Officials at St. Cloud (Minn.) State want the University of North Dakota to leave its Fighting Sioux logo at home when its men's hockey team visits Nov. 2. "We don't tolerate hate speech," said Sudie Hofmann, associate professor and chairwoman of St. Cloud State's human relations and multicultural education department. Hofmann thinks the nickname and logo insult American Indians. But North Dakota has received no official request about the logo, athletic director Roger Thomas said Monday. The dispute isn't new. In March, St. Cloud President Roy Saigo submitted a resolution to the NCAA seeking elimination of all American Indian nicknames. Last year Ralph Engelstad, a Sioux hockey goalie about 50 years ago, threatened to pull a $100 million pledge to build a hockey arena. The state's higher education board voted unanimously to keep the nickname, saying it upholds the state's tradition and honors American Indians.

[SaveTheChief]

As a proud alumnus of the University of Illinois, I must step up and say that this is going too far. There have been activists on campus for YEARS protesting the existence of Chief Illiniwek, the great tradition and a noble symbol of the university. HE is not a mascot. The Chief does not take part in any cartoonish, rabble rousing activities that are commnly displayed by mascot badgers, buckeyes, "Petes" (I don't know what the heck he is), and any number of other goalpost charging characters.

Yet these "representatives" of Native American culture say that The Chief is racist, that he portrays the now extinct Illini tribe in a shameful, disrespectful manner.

Nonsense

The Chief appears at halftime, as the marching band performs a traditional Illinois number, the "Three in One". The band opens the Three in One with a tune called "Pride Of The Illini", singing and marching downfield to the end zone. After one stanza, the band breaks out playing the same tune as they gather in the endsone. The Chief stealthfully makes his way to the middle of the band, keeping low and making his way to the field. When he breaks from the band, the croud errupts in cries of "CHIEF" as he leads the band back on the field doing a sort of traditional dance (exaggerated for the field) called "fancy dancing". When the dance ends and the band takes the formation of the wird "Illini", the chief raises his hands to the sky as we all sing "Hail to the Orange", the school alma mater.

When this is finished, so is The Chief. He returns with his traditional native american costume to the locker room and is not seen again.

I have seen this many many times, and cannot find one disrespectful, racist thing about this tradition. In fact, I believe The Chief celebrates the culture and the history of a proud people who are now long gone. It is because of The Chief that we know there were people who lived in Illinois long before any of us, and it is The Chief who makes me remember the university fondly, as a place where I grew up and learned what tradition and respect means.

And some people are trying to take these lessons away from the youth of today.

Although not every Native American "mascot" is up to the standards of Chief Illiniwek, I fear that the celebration of this proud race of people once found in great numbers throughout North America will be forced to end by those who simply have no clue and no respect of the past and those who choose to remember them.

This nonsense has to end

Save The Chief

[gore_sux]

If I make it to a game in St. Cloud this year, I'll make sure and have a few logo stickers along with me to place in a few strategic areas.

[LoneGOPinCT]

Padre = Friar = Frier = Chicken.

May be a tretch, but still funny as h*ll!

[LoneGOPinCT]

Or the St. John's former Redmen now Red Storm. What the heck is a Red Storm? The only thing that comes to mind are communist military images. Although given the loony-left slant in the PC world nowadays, that probably was their intent :-)

[EODGUY]

Crusader Rabbit shoots and SCORES. Very nicely written and I hope it is read by it's intended addressee.

[in the Arena]

When with the madness end ?

The school is very proud of it's hockey program and of it's mascot. Outside of their new arena they have erected a tribute statue to Sitting Bull.

There is a tradition at UND, when singing the Star Spangled Banner the final word "Brave" is replaced by "Sioux".

"O'er the land of the free and the home of the SIOUX?"

President Reagan visited the school in 86' or 87'. When the band played the Star Spangled Banner the crowd exploded with "the Sioux" at the end...The president had a great big smile and held up the hockey jersey with the Fighting Sioux logo that the school presented to him...and I believe the team won the NCAA crown that year.

[socal_parrot]

The San Diego Chicken started as a mascot for radio station KGB in the seventies. He broke from the station in the 80's and, after settling a lawsuit, was reborn as the San Diego Chicken. The Chicken as no direct affiliation with the Padres or Chargers. I liked the Friar=fryer thing though.

[S.O.S121.500]

Lemme get this right. A Defeated and Subjugated prehistoric (stone age) social group to whom the wheel was a mystery is making DEMANDS?

Kit Carson was right.

[S.O.S121.500]

Hold it hold it. Appears the demands are being made by scummy, parasitic, loser, slimey democraptic subhuman life forms which vote socialist democrat. Sorry.

[Verginius Rufus]

Didn't the students at Washington State vote for Banana Slugs as their mascot? Or maybe it was another university. Anyway I think the fuddy-duddies in the administration blocked it.

[KillerWabbit]

This place is crawling with wabbits... er, rabbits!

[Crusader Rabbit]

Evidently we have been multiplying.

[prambo]

You are giving this person WAY too much intellectual credit. You are so far over her head it's not even funny.

prambo

[wbill]

Try Maine for scholarships.

As of 10 years ago when I was there, they offered a full ride to anyone that can prove 1/8 blood. And there was no limit to the programs. It was a result of the Penobscot Land Claims agreement in the 70s.

As a matter of fact, the only person that I know that graduated as a result of the program was in Electrical Engineering.

Unfortunately, I knew a lot more kids that came in on the program and partied their way off the campus. Let me state strongly that I think that this is more a function of immature 17 and 18 year olds with nothing at stake in their education, than any racial commentary of any sort.

[RikaStrom]

. "We don't tolerate hate speech," said Sudie Hofmann, associate professor and chairwoman of St. Cloud State's human relations and multicultural education department.

Hate speech? A logo? Since when?

Sudie, go get a real life a leave decision making to the adults.

[the bottle let me down]

Didn't the students at Washington State vote for Banana Slugs as their mascot? Or maybe it was another university. Anyway I think the fuddy-duddies in the administration blocked it.

It's the University of California at Santa Cruz. I believe that the students use it.

[Crusader Rabbit]

Actually I do not advocate any scholarships based on race as they are inherently racist [apparently that tautology alone is over the head of the typical academician]. My point is that even if you accept the overall concept of race-based grants, the details of such programs reveal the depth of the racism of those who have written the rules.

I didn't get to be where I am in life by latching on to the pity of America-hating leftists, and when I examine the circumstances of my kinsmen who have latched on to it, I can only shake my head in sorrow.

[KillerWabbit]

Banana Slugs as their mascot?

Then maybe Fruit Fly isn't such a bad idea...

Or Army Ants...

Or Book Worms...

(Other visual pun sculptures here...)

[Crusader Rabbit]

Didn't the students at Washington State vote for Banana Slugs as their mascot? Or maybe it was another university. Anyway I think the fuddy-duddies in the administration blocked it.

It's the University of California at Santa Cruz. I believe that the students use it.

Wouldn't the Cannabis Indica plant be a more appropriate mascot for that student body?

[steve in DC]

Perhaps they should have the PETA folks complain about that "Huskies" mascot. After all, it is intolerable animal abuse to have those poor canines pulling those sleds around.

Come to think of it, what about that "Saint" business. That's foisting off state sponsored religion on all of us. Call the ACLU!

In fact if the Saint Cloud Huskies don't immediately change their name to the White Cloud Bathroom Tissues, they should be forced to forfeit the game.