Mascot

 

What is a mascot for?

I sort of understand a branding figure, like Tony the Tiger cartoon character-selling corn flakes, but when he shows up on the corner spinning a sign?

All the sports teams have mascots.

From what I remember teams were named after towns where they came from. Their uniforms would have a letter or a symbol (like Tony the Tiger or Mickey Mouse or those scantly clad ladies on the WWII bombers) sewn or painted on them.

The opposing teams would come out on the field or track or pitch or diamond to play their game and the rest of us would sit in bleachers to watch.

To keep us entertained there were marching bands. An orchestra in funky army costumes would walk back and forth playing inspirational music the keep the audience attention. If that weren’t enough between the spectators and the action young ladies in short skirts would run about screaming and shaking their pom-poms.

As the years went on the teams had to have a brand. A name like ‘the Tigers’ or ‘the Steelers’ or ‘the Yankees’ and the advertising campaigns went crazy. A logo was created and was stamped and sewn and painted on everything merchandisable and the money rolled in.

Then the mascots showed up.

Even the Olympics have mascots.

Larger than life fuzzy oversized reproductions of the team’s logo to run around with the cheerleaders to keep the kids entertained. Figures like tigers or cowboys were easy, but would the Yankees depict the Civil War (we don’t want to go back there)?

Years from now people will relay tales of being the starring quarterback or the head cheerleader or the leader of the band or a flag waver, but who want to say they were the one sweating in a clown suit and no one knew who you were?

This is my college mascot. Go Rams!