Columnist Dean Juipe: Political correctness puts Chief Illiniwek on chopping block

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

As an aging, middle-class, white male, I have almost no credibility on this issue. Never having knowingly been the victim of racial or ethnic bias, I do not speak from experience on the subject, and, as a result, I lack the perspective of those that have. Yet I do have a certain political correctness and I am attuned to the standards of acceptable taste and good will.

As such, I have an open mind on the need for sports to disassociate themselves from symbols of oppression and tyranny, and have often wondered just how long it would be before unanimity existed and nicknames such as Redskins, Chiefs, Indians and Braves -- and even Rebels -- became verboten by either general agreement or federal law.

A move in that direction seemingly existed several years ago, but the initiative sputtered to a halt with only a couple of colleges -- including my alma mater, Eastern Michigan -- changing nicknames in deference to Native Americans. Pro teams with far more egregious nicknames than EMU's shelved (and seemingly harmless) Hurons turned a blind eye toward those who would complain. But with the University of Illinois threatening to remove its Chief Illiniwek mascot, I sense the topic is once again fair game for address.

I have seen Chief Illiniwek in person a few times and on countless occasions on TV without ever once feeling he was degrading to Native Americans, yet when members of Illinois' Board of Trustees meet Thursday they will vote on a resolution to eliminate the Indian icon. The mascot, who has served at Illinois games and functions for 75 years, will be "honorably retired" if the trustees vote affirmatively on the matter.

Spared, however, will be Illinois' "Fighting Illini" nickname, although one suspects that if the Chief goes, so will the moniker in due time.

While there is legitimate sentiment that such concerns are so trivial as to not warrant corrective action, the mere fact that some people among us do take offense at Indian and Confederate likenesses may be reason enough to eliminate them all. But I suspect it will take a federal mandate to do it.

Colleges, being more sensitive to liberal leanings, are far more likely to take a proactive approach and eliminate the questionable nicknames on their own, even if only a couple have done it so far. Among those still stand ing: UNLV Rebels, Mississippi Rebels, Arkansas State Indians, LouisianaMonroe Indians and, in something of a reach, the San Diego State Aztecs.

As for what UNLV would call itself if not the Rebels, who knows? "Stars" is certainly too dated. "Gamblers" is out of the question. And "Harters" would appeal only to the president.

But the day may come when "Rebels" and UNLV's "Hey, Reb" mascot are exiled as the school chooses to distance itself from the inherent Deep South implications that both provide.

Conversely, pro teams seem to have drawn a line and those with Indian-related nicknames aren't showing any inclination to change at this time. This surprises me in that the most blatantly questionable of those teams and nicknames, the NFL's Washington Redskins, are located in the nation's capital, and, as such, are perfectly situated to be the focal point of the argument. I would have thought the political pressure would be sufficient on both the team and the White House to have had "Redskins" deleted already, but, obviously, it hasn't yet happened.

Other teams such as baseball's Atlanta Braves have withstood a muted public outcry to switch names, with the Braves -- and their fans' ridiculous chop-chop hand signal -- an especially juicy target for those who are offended by Indian imagery.

As an aside, consider how much America has changed on Indian issues in recent years, even if additional change may be needed. For instance, in the small town where I grew up a single Native American family existed and everyone -- including the man's wife -- called the patriarch "Chief." He was a nice, hard-working military veteran (who was also a great softball player) who willingly answered to "Chief" and never seemingly was bothered.

Today you don't call someone "Chief" without his complete consent and it's certainly not something every Native American would respond to with a smile. Should "Chiefs," as in the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, then be eliminated? Maybe so.

We wouldn't tolerate teams using nicknames such as Nazis or Beaners or Arabs, so perhaps the time has come to do away with Redskins, Braves and Indians, too.

As much as I've enjoyed Chief Illiniwek, his colorful headdress and wardrobe, it could be he has served his purpose and is ready for a rocking chair.

If his very presence is enough to put some people on the warpath, maybe the time has come to "honorably retire" him as it appears his school is tempted to do.