The Kingfisher Illinois mascot is a representation of the Kingfisher, which is a type of bird found in North America. The mascot is commonly associated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where it has become a symbol of the school's athletic teams. The Kingfisher Illinois mascot is often seen cheering on the university's athletes at sporting events, both on the sidelines and in the stands. It adds an element of excitement and school spirit to the games, rallying the fans and creating a sense of community among the students, alumni, and faculty. The Kingfisher mascot is known for its vibrant blue and orange feathers, which match the university's official colors. It is often depicted wearing a jersey or other sporting attire, and sometimes carries a flag or sign displaying the university's logo.

Kingfisher illinois mascot

Hey my dear friends what's happening. Will Blogger still be around after there's no democracy? Who knows. Better get these things up now.

I was recently a guest on the American Birding Association's This Month in Birding podcast, alongside superhost Nate Swick and with Nicole Jackson and Mo Stych. It was pretty depressing to start! Things are not great right now! But it got more fun and funnier! Click on the image below!

I also wrote a piece for National Audubon about an exciting initiative happening on the campus of the University of Illinois, which has been without a sports team mascot for over a decade since they ditched their own offensive Native American one. The new movement hopes to install the Belted Kingfisher as the new mascot! Great bird! I hope it works! I don't want to spoil the story, but I'll tell you that the vote went really well and that no one still knows what the next steps are! Exclamation points!

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It’s Kingfisher Season

If you’ve started the week reading Loren Tate’s Sunday column in the News-Gazette (or Tuesday’s rebuttal) or IlliniBoard.com, you’ve probably read about the belted kingfisher, and whether it should be considered for the University of Illinois’ next mascot or not. Both raise good points about the generational differences between fans, lack of a new direction, and questions about the motivations of the new mascot movement.

Of course, if you’d been reading Smile Politely at any point over the past two and a half years, you would have already known about the kingfisher, the movement to make it a mascot, and the student group that created it.

Chances are, if you’ve ever tweeted about the kingfisher over the past two years, you’ve had throngs of angry people in your mentions. We’ve all been there. Well. Most of us.

So, here’s a millennial alumnus’s opinion on the bird:

Most importantly, above all else, Chief Illiniwek, and everything associated with it, was a modern day minstrel show, full stop. To many of us, that should be the end of the argument. It meets the definition exactly. The descendants of the tribe voted. They voted no. It was supported by the National Congress of American Indians. No amount of fans folding their arms at halftime or wearing t shirts with an old logo will change that.

But since we have to go deeper, we can go deeper: there are two trends that I have noticed with mascot discourse over the past 20 years or so, both of which are grim for supporters of Chief Illiniwek.

The first is that Chief supporters are simply losing momentum. 20 years ago, every other car at the drop-off at Monticello Middle School had a “Chief Forever” bumper sticker. Today, you can’t find one. The billboards aren’t up anymore. Chief shirts are becoming more and more uncommon at games. The number of people who fold their arms and chant (inaccurately) at half time is dwindling in the same span. In the 16 years since Chief Illiniwek has been retired, the decrease has been obvious; I suspect most long-time Illini fans have noticed this. If you haven’t, maybe you have selective hearing. Tate’s column correctly, I think, alludes to this sea change, but I see it from a different perspective.

The other trend that carries weight here is that, in the same way that support for the old mascot is dropping, support for the opposition is ever-increasing. First, a group floated the idea of “Alma Otter,” an otter mascot, in 2019. The hype got so real that the University had to disavow this sick photoshop, which was featured on SportsCenter:

Next, just weeks later, a World War 1 veteran, Champ, was floated.

Then, the kingfisher, a naturally orange and blue bird that is native to central Illinois (I can’t make this shit up, just look at that beauty), caught steam (again, I can’t stress this enough, more than three years ago). It has gone in front of the U of I Senate, passed a student referendum, been endorsed by the Audubon Society, been presented to the Board of Trustees, had kingfisher U of I socks sold at Dick’s because of an error, and even has a real-life mascot.

I swear, if you had been reading Smile Politely or following Champaign Showers on Twitter you would have known all this by now.

But the overarching point here, and one that Loren Tate came close to making on Sunday, is that these mascot ideas will keep coming until the minstrel show is gone. They will keep coming until the chants, dances, and costumes stop. Fans will forget about those inaccurate chants, or better yet, recognize them for what they were, and learn from that brutal history. We can start to change that history now, and these groups are. When it comes to constructing the infrastructure for that pivot away from the Chief, though, the anger from Chief apologists adds fuel to the fire. The tweets and profile pictures that support a minstrel show actively make many of us push for a new mascot more. The more they oppose it, the more many of us want it.

When you combine these two forces, both that Chief Illiniwek is losing public support and that alternate mascots are gaining public support, the conclusion becomes foregone: there will be a new mascot. Sooner or later. Maybe it’s the kingfisher; maybe not.

It doesn’t matter how much apologists try to deflect with the definitions of “mascot” and “symbol.” It doesn’t matter the logistics of the name change vs. the title of the team. I can almost guarantee that is not a concern of the opponents. The bar is so low that we can’t even get everyone to agree that a minstrel show is bad!

Looking at those extraneous distractions is looking too far down the line, and intentionally misses the point. What matters now is the actual issue at hand – the current mascot, and that we need a new one. I suspect they know that, which is why many have been so cagey to cover new alternatives.

It’s really that simple.

So yeah. Let’s have the kingfisher. It’s better than the last name. That’s not so hard to say, is it?

And to the rest of the media who cover the Illini, let me be candid: don’t be scared to talk about new mascots. It’s not a high bar to say the old mascot was insensitive and move on. It’s ok. You can say it. It’s factually true. Don’t wait on a press release if there if a real movement of Illini who are bringing change. Don’t let your fandom cloud the facts.

This change is coming whether you like to talk about the mascot issue or not. If not now, then the next mascot idea. Or the next. And that should be the story. Go Illini.

The mascot debate/fandom thread

Why can't we just have a block I with googly eyes and arms and legs and call him Ivan, and then his partner can be Ileen?

Shane Walsh

aka "Captain Oblivious"

My Turn | Hail to the kingfisher

"Let’s stop the curmudgeon class from denying young students and grads of a mascot they can cheer with, and associate with their time in Champaign-Urbana," Mark Toalson writes.

bluemountain

In the grand spectrum of symbols or mascots, the Chief is still in the top rung with the USC Trojan, Chief Osceola and Sparty. A doughboy would be great in that it would be pretty unique and has a direct tie in to the Fighting Illini. A kingfisher would be as generic as bucky the badger or the Northwestern wildcat - nothing great, but at least innocuous. Probably the best thing that can be said about it is that it isn't as ridiculous as a tree or an orange. In other words, I guess it could be worse.

dgcrow

Possible beginning for the return of The Chief?

Native American Group Threatens National Boycott If Washington Football Team Doesn’t Change Name Back To ‘Redskins’ | The Daily Wire

Ramrod2010

Possible beginning for the return of The Chief?

Native American Group Threatens National Boycott If Washington Football Team Doesn’t Change Name Back To ‘Redskins’ | The Daily Wire

A group referred to as "NAGA" on their own website.

Fighter of the Nightman

My Turn | Hail to the kingfisher

"Let’s stop the curmudgeon class from denying young students and grads of a mascot they can cheer with, and associate with their time in Champaign-Urbana," Mark Toalson writes.

1. I don't mean to be too critical of a debatably minor thing, but it is distracting when a spelling error and grammatical error are front and center within the first two paragraphs . lol, it might have made me a bit biased from the start.

2. I do not think it is comparable to say that we never changed our name to "the Fighting Chiefs" when we had the Chief, so no one should worry about getting rid of the nickname, "Fighting Illini." For one, the Chief and the Fighting Illini were arguably very connected . the Kingfisher would be in effect starting over, and it's a totally rationale concern that some people who don't say anything about the name Illini now would eventually view the nickname as archaic, somehow offensive and worthy of being ditched at a future time. The War Chant was in no danger of ever being removed in 2007 when the Chief was because "it was just a song," and here we are. This isn't a political comment as it can apply to those on the left and the right, but most activists do not rest easy when they achieve their stated goals . they check it off the list and move on to something new. To effectively gaslight people concerned about losing the Fighting Illini nickname and tell them they have nothing to worry about indefinitely is very disingenuous, IMO.

3. On that note, I think any new mascot (and I do NOT think we need one!) has to be unique to our identity as Illinoisans and/or people associated with Illinois' state flagship school (i.e., mostly alumni). I will give the Kingfisher that it at least tries in this regard, but very few will draw any kind of connection. A World War II/military reference is the most direct way to pivot toward some type of continuity with the broadest of meanings for "Fighting Illini," but I understand that many (rightly or wrongly) will find some issue with this. So, if we MUST have a mascot, I am all aboard the Abe Lincoln train. He is arguably the most famous person to ever come from this state, ESPECIALLY Downstate Illinois. I'm sure someone somewhere would find a reason to be offended by using Honest Abe, but at some point we have to not really give a crap.

It is often depicted wearing a jersey or other sporting attire, and sometimes carries a flag or sign displaying the university's logo. The choice of the Kingfisher as the university's mascot is rooted in its characteristics and symbolism. The bird is known for its agility and speed, traits that are often associated with athletic excellence.

Additionally, the Kingfisher is seen as a symbol of prosperity and abundance, which resonates with the university's mission of providing students with a rich and fulfilling educational experience. The Kingfisher Illinois mascot serves as a beloved figure on campus, representing the university's athletic achievements and fostering a sense of pride in the school's community. It is a symbol that is recognized and revered by students, alumni, and fans alike, and continues to be an important part of the university's identity..

Reviews for "The Kingfisher's Influence on Illinois Athletics' Branding and Marketing"

1. John - ★☆☆☆☆

I was really disappointed with the choice of the "Kingfisher" as the mascot for Illinois. Firstly, I didn't even know what a kingfisher was before this. It's not a well-known or iconic animal that represents the state in any way. Secondly, the design of the mascot itself is underwhelming. It looks like a generic bird with no distinctive features. I think they could have done a much better job in selecting a mascot that truly represents Illinois.

2. Sarah - ★★☆☆☆

While I understand that the kingfisher is a native bird in Illinois, I don't think it makes for a strong mascot choice. The bird itself doesn't have any remarkable qualities that would make it stand out or be easily recognizable. Additionally, the decision to use a kingfisher as the mascot doesn't feel inclusive or representative of the diverse population of Illinois. I think they could have chosen something more iconic and inclusive, like the Chicago skyline or the state flower.

3. Mike - ★☆☆☆☆

The kingfisher as the mascot for Illinois is just plain boring. When I think of Illinois, I think of the iconic city of Chicago, cornfields, and maybe even Abraham Lincoln. A kingfisher doesn't inspire any excitement or connection to the state. They missed an opportunity to choose a mascot that truly embodies the spirit and culture of Illinois. I hope they reconsider and choose something more fitting in the future.

Kingfishers and Illinois Athletics: A Perfect Match