Illinois Will Offer A St. Louis Cardinals License Plate

Gotta admit, my first reaction was "Are You !@#%& Kidding Me?!" So was my second and third and fourth and...

Not a fan of the idea.

However, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has found a way to make people who feel the same way that I do feel bad about it. White says that the plate offers an opportunity for fans to express pride for their team, while supporting public education in Illinois.

"So, I guess you don't like children" or, "You don't want to help our schools?" will be the preferred replies to those who object to the idea of putting another state's team logo on an Illinois license plate.

The plates with the Cardinals “Birds on Bat” logo will be available for purchase after Labor Day. Fans will be able to order random number, personalized or vanity plates. According to the secretary of state’s office, the cost of a random number Cardinals plate for a currently titled vehicle with valid Illinois registration will be $69. Pricing varies for vanity and personalized license plates.

So, let's go with the "slippery slope" argument. What's next, Illinois plates with the Green Bay Packers logo on them? How about Indianapolis Colts plates? Milwaukee Bucks plates, too?

Illinois already has around 70 different specialty plates available, none of them promoting out-of-state teams.

Can't Cardinals fans just slap a window decal on the back windshield?