And it is the tribes, along with philanthropic, education, professional and civil rights organizations, that are leading the movement to retire the symbols.
April 04, 2007
Money buys mascots
Farewell to the ChiefThe battle over the use of American Indian names and mascots among college and professional athletic teams has a seldom-told economic backstory. It’s more than simple alumni sentimentality. Money, influence and power often play a significant role in decisions regarding the use of these symbols. Paraphernalia bearing the images bring in millions of dollars each year to the institutions. But the names and images have been decried as disrespectful and insensitive to American Indians.
And it is the tribes, along with philanthropic, education, professional and civil rights organizations, that are leading the movement to retire the symbols.
And it is the tribes, along with philanthropic, education, professional and civil rights organizations, that are leading the movement to retire the symbols.
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6 comments:
Writerfella here --
Ostensibly, and as has been reported in this blog, Chief Illiniwek is over. Then why is he still a subject here? You won, Rob, even if the UI students never have heard of you or your blog. Why act like Illiniwek still is an issue? Unless, like the political cartoon that lamented the death of the USSR, where a US military officer is crying and placing a wreath, saying, "We didn't want you...TO DIE!" Because, without an enemy, their purpose is that much reduced, and if they no longer have enemies, new ones (like Iraq and Iran) would have to be invented...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
The article's hook was Chief Illiniwek's demise, but it was about marketing Indian mascots in general. Since almost a thousand of these mascots remain, the subject is still relevant.
Writerfella here --
A thousand? That many? Why is there no definitive listing, therefore? That way, anyone who counted them might find such a claim believable. Lacking such, it's a bit like, 'Mr. President, there are 250 Communists in the US State Department alone!' And we all know what happened to the man who made that claim...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Someone is keeping a tally, I think, since the numbers reported are generally consistent.
Here's one site that maintains a list of Indian mascots:
MASCOTS--Listings of Schools by State
Writerfella here --
Substantial, but nowhere near a thousand. Maybe if you combined movies, Pirate plots, ballpark figures for books and TV shows, and whether ancient Persians or Greeks were tanned or otherwise, it might make 700. Where would the other 300 (oops!) emerge?
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I'll ask some of the mascot experts I know where the numbers come from.
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