Shot across the buckskin bow

The Chief took a shot in the tailfeathers today. It's certainly not a fatal shot, but it's gotta be painful. And it's about time.

The NCAA finally issued its ruling on Native American mascots today, and while it didn't outright ban them (which many had hoped) it put them in mini-leg irons and suggested that schools using offensive mascots like the Chief might consider looking for something else. It's not a death sentence, but I'm sure it's a ruling that can't make chiefists happy.

In a report found on ESPN.COM today, the AP reported:

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise.

The NCAA said it really can't ban any mascot, no matter how hostile or abusive it is, from internal campus use. If an institution of higher education chooses to be offensive, hostile and abusive to Native Americans, sobeit. But once that mascot enters the NCAA arena, it certainly can act.

The NCAA plans to ban schools using Indian nicknames from hosting postseason events. Harrison said schools with such mascots that have already been selected as tournament sites would be asked to cover any offensive logos.
Such logos also would be prohibited at postseason games on cheerleader and band uniforms starting in 2008.

That, my friends, is the key. And that key is starting to lock up offensive mascots such as the Chief.

What that particular part of the ruling means, according to this afternoon's News-Gazette, is that

The University of Illinois will not be able to host any NCAA championship competitions if it continues to use Chief Illiniwek as the symbol of its athletic teams.

The UI (and the News-Gazette) is careful to label the Chief as a 'symbol,' rather than a 'mascot,' as if that little word somehow reduces the offensiveness. It doesn't. You can call a mouse a moose, but it still won't have antlers.

I'm aware that the Chief rarely travels with the team or the band, but now there are more restrictions, more doubts, more times when they have to ask is he welcome? And more times when the answer will be No.

Will this have any impact on the UI? It's probably too early to tell, but the guess is yes, in one way or another. Again from the News-Gazette:

In the past year, the UI hosted NCAA postseason competitions for soccer and men's tennis.
The NCAA also prohibited teams from displaying American Indian imagery on their uniforms during such competitions. All UI team uniforms say 'Illinois' and do not include any imagery of the Chief.
In making the recommendations, NCAA officials said they tried to respect the autonomy of individual schools to decide what their mascot should be, but also to exercise their authority to control what is displayed at an NCAA event.

The UI has hopes in the near future of hosting NCAA baseball, NCAA women's basketball, NCAA soccer, NCAA tennis, NCAA women's softball and other postseason tournaments. If the Chief remains as the UI mascot, this most certainly will not happen. That means a considerable loss of revenue.

Suddenly it becomes a financial issue. How much does the UI stand to lose by not hosting home post-season events? Who knows, but it could be substantial; they wouldn't so actively pursue them otherwise. Ron Guenther's no dummy. How much athletically do the UI teams stand to lose by playing their postseason games on someone else's home court? Who knows? Probably again substantial. The Chief now comes with a price tag. Perhaps a big one.

Now there's a financial bottom line, rather than oftentimes just an emotional one... A measurable bottom line.

Is this the end of the Chief?

Unfortunately, probably not. There are still enough delusional, blinded old alumni with deep pockets who will fight this. There are a handful of vocal students who will, too. Some day they might begin to understand the issue. To them the Chief is thrilling. To many others, especially to Native Americans, who the Chief is supposed to 'portray' (mimic, mock, caricature, diminish, belittle, deride), the Chief is simply offensive. The fight's not over yet.

This may be a start toward the end. A good start. Since the Chief now essentially is restricted to campus, excluding all postseason activity, his impact is further diminished. As is his prestige.

The hope is the it will continue to diminish. The UI, Champaign-Urbana and Illinois simply do not need a controversial, hostile and abusive mascot to serve as its symbol.

And so it goes.