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 Somewhere between a cornfield and nowhere lies
Champaign, Illinois. It’s a great
college town with mounds of enthusiasm and passion for their team. On gameday, tailgating takes place in open
fields where music blasts, games are played, and footballs are tossed. Cornhole is a popular game here as it is at most
sporting events now. I soon began to understand the
reason for its popularity while watching intoxicated students play. It
becomes more difficult to be accurate with the beanbags causing many laughs
and a few split lips. Beyond
the beanbag, comrodery among fans is shown in many other ways here at
Illinois. Everywhere you look are
signs that read, “Save the Chief!”
Illinois mascot, Chief Illiniwek, is a decorated figure that performs
a tribal dance during halftime. The
crowd reacts positively to the Chief and sends him great cheers. Unfortunately, many activists believe that
Chief Illiniwek and his performance is an offensive display. Many universities are defending their
mascots against activists who wish to have them stricken from all
sports. Therefore, these universities
are retaliating and Illinois is one of the leaders. Saving the chief is as important as winning the Big Ten. It is the pride of the school. Of course, there are many more aspects
that highlight Illinois football including Memorial Stadium itself. Alongside the side of the stadium are
over 200 columns, which bear the names of those who lost their lives in
WWI. Those columns surrounded by red
brick create one of the most beautiful structures in all of sports. The stadium is gigantic on the double deck
sides. I had the opportunity to climb
to the summit of Memorial Stadium which offers a beautiful view of campus and
an even lovelier view of nowhere off in the distance. The crowd is an active one with one side
screaming, “ILL” and the other side responding, “INI.” Fireworks blast at each Illini touchdown,
which is a captivating sight at night.
Illinois fans are very respectful.
It could be due to their lack of victories in the past few years. There hasn’t been much to brag about. However, it shouldn’t be long before the
university is spending more of their budget on recreational explosives.
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