All I will say about the issue is this. If having such a tradition or a mascot proves detrimental to a school like Illinois in attracting good students and good student-athletes, why would you keep it? Having an issue like that hanging over your school is not much different than having students shy away and choosing another option where they can get a great education without the backdrop of a distraction like this or alleged recruiting violations. There have been rumblings over the past few years that Illinois has lost out on students and athletes because of this issue alone. If the school is perceived to have problems like that, another school would seem like a better alternative.
Not too long ago, people in South Africa thought Apartheid was a "tradition" in that nation's social fabric. The country paid a price by being excluded from participating or being taken seriously as country with that issue hanging over its head. Now, athletes, businesses, and professionals are viewed in a different light when they say they are from RSA, rather than being shunned, avoided, and shutout from competitions and conferences many of us in the United States would take for granted.
As for the Confederate Flag brouhaha in some southern states, I think it would be in Bradley's best interest not to intentionally schedule games with schools from those states that are adamant about keeping such flags out in open displays on a daily basis. To me, flags like that are about history moreso than heritage and belong in museums. Can you imagine the reaction from not only this country, but European and Asian neighbors if Germany decided to publicly display a flag with a swastika on it, or Japan with its rising sun with outspreading rays on it?
I am not a minority, but I try to put myself in a person's shoes and I know how I would probably react to seeing such symbols on constant display. I'd be hacked off as a Black, Jew, Indian, or a Polish or Dutch or Korean person.
I may just throw up :x
