Will the Midgets Be Erased by the State of Illinois?

The issue has been around for years. Freeburg, Illinois high school’s mascot name has been the Midgets since 1934. But a new piece of legislation at the capital in Springfield may remove the Midget via government.

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For years groups have complained about the mascot name at Freeburg high. Shame hasn’t influenced the school district and alumni to make a change, so the groups have turned to Illinois government to force the change.

Representative Maurice West or Rockford, Illinois (over 300 miles from Freeburg) introduced a bill to require (force) Freeburg to ditch the Midget mascot. Were there no elected representatives closer to Freeburg in southern Illinois that would take this up? The bill’s language goes beyond the Midget specifically to include any mascot image and name that is seen as a discriminatory reference to anyone with a disability. The bill would give Freeburg until 2028 to make the change.

Related: Illinois High School Nickname Considered Illegal?

Should this get into committee (I don’t see this with an HB number yet), and ultimately to the floor in Springfield. Passed and signed by the Governor, What will Freeburg High turn too? A mascot name that his been associated with a school and its teams for over 90 years will be tough to remove from everyone’s mind and mouth. You may force the school to change legally, but can you force the public to acknowledge the change and stop calling Freeburg the Midgets?

So, if the Midgets are to be erased, what could Freeburg become? A few spiteful ideas: The Legislated, The Filibusters? The Scofflaws? The Unnamed? The Nobodies? Also, is there an angle here to be exploited? Have the name corporatized. If Roxana can be the Shells, as it is in the shadow of the refinery, what business around the Freeburg area would like to buy the mascot name for the school year? Or for a decade? For a fee….$$$ of course. Should this pass and the Midgets get dumped. Whatever the new mascot is, it's name should be "Unfree".

Putnam County Missouri High School teams are also called the Midgets. They are watching from the other side of the Mississippi.