This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.
The descendants of the Sauk and Meskwaki Indians who once lived around Rock Island have joined other Native American groups in protesting the University of Illinois's use of Chief Illini as the mascot for its football team. They say it perpetuates ugly stereotypes.
Come on now. It's all good clean fun. Suppose the situation were reversed. Let's imagine that a Native American High school on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota decided to name its team the Jesuits, in honor of those brave French missionaries who covered the New World and changed the lives of tribe after tribe. Wouldn't the marching band look impressive dressed up with clerical collars, cassocks, and broad-brimmed hats? Think of the interesting yells patterned after Gregorian chants led by cheerleaders in somewhat abbreviated nuns' habits. A touchdown would bring on a performance by the team mascot, Father Marquette. The "Hail Mary" pass would have a whole new meaning.
Fans would certainly want to get in on the spirit of it all, especially after the free rosaries for all children under twelve. The Atlanta Braves' "chop" could be replaced by genuflection or passing the kiss of peace at tense moments in the game.
None of this would compare to half-time performances, where the local Native American Boy and Girl Scout Troops would perform carefully-researched authentic Catholic rituals: masses, exorcisms, baptisms and marriages—all done in the same impeccable good taste with which their counterparts perform genuine Indian religious dances for educational purposes.
I personally know of no Catholics who could possibly be offended by this good clean fun. Some lapsed Catholics might even be reminded of what they were missing and come back to the fold. In fact, I suspect it would not be long before the Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists would become jealous of all the publicity and field competing teams, or at least make up floats of their own for the homecoming parades.
Rock Island Lines with Roald Tweet is underwritten by Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois.
