Why did University of Illinois take away their old mascot?

Answer 1

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's mascot was a controversy dating back to the 1970s. The mascot was chosen around 1926 to be Chief Illiniwek, a Native American that was dressed in traditional clothing. In the mid-1970s there was a push to be so-called politically correct (caused by the Civil Rights movement), especially when dealing with minorities, with this trend debates started within the university as to whether Chief Illiniwek was offensive to Native Americans. Supporters of the mascot claimed that the Chief was in honor of the Native American history of Illionois, whereas opponents believed that the mascot mocked Native American symbols and rituals (such as the dances performed by the mascot) and was stereotypical of Native American culture. Protests were started in October 1989 by Charlene Teters, a member of the Spokane tribe and also a student at the university. In 1995 the United States Department of Education concluded that the mascot was not racist and didn't breach civil rights, also a bill was passed that allowed the Chief to remain mascot. Peoria Chief Don Giles said "To say that we are anything but proud to have these portrayals would be completely wrong. We are proud. We're proud that the University of Illinois, the flagship university of the state, a seat of learning, is drawing on that background of our having been there..." But more recent Chiefs, Ron Froman (Became chief in 2000) and John P. Froman (Became chief in 2005), have claimed the mascot to be demeaning. The NCAA put a ban on universities which had Native American mascots which they deemed to be disrespectful to Native Americans in 2005. The ban, effective in the 2006 season, meant that the banned universities could not participate in BCS events and other postseason events. The university appealed, but the appeal was denied. In late 2006, the university said they would retire Chief Illiniwek after the 2006 season and in early 2007 the mascot was officially retired. The University of Illinois are now known as the fighting Illini.