Saturdays in Champaign will sound different this fall as the University of Illinois has gotten rid of a popular song from its in-game program.
According to the Champaign News-Gazette, the school has eliminated a song, known as a “war chant,” that played while opponents on the football field faced a third down play:
The song was being played at a soccer match on Thursday afternoon, and a representative of the school’s athletic department told students to stop playing it.
After the decision, it was announced by the school that the “war chant” would no longer be played at football games. The famous “Three-in-One” song , a staple of halftime entertainment at football games, will remain.
The move is just the latest decision by the university to be more sensitive to the concerns of Native Americans. The school’s former mascot and logo Chief Illiniwek was removed in 2007 following an NCAA decision to sanction schools that used Native American imagery.
