November 9, 2001

'Playing Indian': Why Native American Mascots Must End

By CHARLES FRUEHLING SPRINGWOOD and C. RICHARD KING

American Indian icons have long been controversial, but 80 colleges still use them, according to the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media. Recently, the struggles over such mascots have intensified, as fans and foes across the country have become increasingly outspoken.

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for example, more than 800 faculty members have signed a petition against retaining Chief Illiniwek as the university's mascot. Students at Indiana