Column: Debate rages over names of Illinois school teams

Chicago Tribune

23-04-2025

Highland Park High School dropped the adjective 'little' from its Giants sports teams decades ago. Which is fortunate, for the school could have found itself outside the law under a bill snaking its way through the state legislature.
The long-winded Prohibition of Discriminatory Disability Mascots Act passed the Illinois House of Representatives earlier this month and moves on to the state Senate, where it undoubtedly will be adopted and await Gov. J.B. Pritzker's signature. Sponsored by state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, it targets far Downstate Freeburg Community High School, in the Metro-East region by St. Louis, and its team name, The Midgets.
According to Jeremy Gorner's front-page story of April 14 in The News-Sun, the bill defines a 'discriminatory disability mascot' as, 'any name, logo, or mascot that is derogatory or representative of an individual or group based on disability, as defined by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.' It would apply to K-12 schools, public universities and community colleges in Illinois.
Opponents of the measure maintain it is another woke encroachment by state lawmakers. Supporters, including state Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, say the Midgets name is 'divisive and harmful.'
Unsure where Bantams or Lilliputians might fit in. Illinois disability advocates have complained about the Midgets name for at least a decade.
'The purpose of a mascot is to bring camaraderie, to create goodwill, to create spirit,' Democrat Dias said. 'I have a child with a disability. If my child's school used his disability as a mascot? I don't even know.'
Legend has it that Highland Park dropped the 'Little Giants' monicker in 1971 after a football coach decided he didn't want the team to be considered 'little.' That's similar to early Waukeganites deciding they didn't want to be Little Fort, turning to the name of Waukegan, yet opting out of being a boastful Big Fort.
How Highland Park became the Little Giants began in 1940 when the school's principal chose the name because of his alma mater, the Wabash College Little Giants. The North Shore school's yearbook was even named 'The Little Giant.' There is another Little Giants high school team in Fremont, Ohio, which claims to be the nation's sauerkraut capital.
At liberal arts Wabash College, a Division III all-male school (one of three remaining in the U.S.), nestled near the banks of Sugar Creek, a southern tributary of the Wabash River, the teams remain the Little Giants. The school is in Crawfordsville, Indiana, in east-central Indiana, about 50 miles west of Indianapolis and about the same distance from the Illinois state line.
The college team, whose mascot is Wally Wabash, got the nickname 'Little Giants' in 1904 from an Indianapolis sportswriter, according to the college, because the teams nearly always were up against much bigger schools with much heftier players. Freeburg High supporters argue the same.
They say the Midgets label has been around since the 1934-35 basketball season. A local sportswriter — they are troublemakers, aren't they? — apparently was looking for a colorful name for his copy to tout the basketball team's small lineup, whose tallest player then was 5-foot-10.
The sportswriter opted for 'midgets,' which supporters say is an 'affectionate' nickname. If he picked 'Elves' or 'Munchkins' it is doubtful Illinois lawmakers would be spending time on the mascot bill while the legislative clock ticks toward a May 31 adjournment.
If eventually signed into law, it will force Freeburg to find another team name by Sept. 1, 2028. That legislation isn't the only mascot bill adopted by the House this month.
Democrat West is also the chief sponsor of a bill that would ban state schools from using Native American names, logos or mascots. However, under the legislation, schools could use a team name of a 'federally recognized tribe or historical Native American person' if they get written permission from representatives of the tribe.
Deerfield High School, next to its fellow District 113 neighbor Highland Park, teams are the Warriors, but your friendly Hellenistic types, complete with a Greek helmet logo. No Lake County high schools have Native American names, although we have Corsairs, Blue Devils, Patriots and various animal mascots, like the Mundelein Mustangs, Libertyville Wildcats and the Zion-Benton Zee-Bees, one of the best team names in the state.
If the tribal mascot bill were to become law, it would take effect in 2030. As of 2021, there were about 50 high schools in Illinois with Native American names or imagery for their teams or mascots, according to Illinois Public Media.
Opponents of the bill say it would be costly for schools to rebrand their team names, change uniforms and, in some cases, erase mascot images from football stadiums and gymnasiums. They also assert that it also wipes out decades of school and community spirit.
Sort of what European settlers did to Native Americans.