A Deep Dive on Mascots in Sports, Part One: The Most Iconic Looks

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The mascot is an ingrained part of sports. Pretty much every professional team, minor league team, and school team has a guy who dresses up in a ridiculous costume to hype up their team’s fans. Some of these mascots are fun and generally pleasant to be around, while others are absolutely insufferable.

What makes a good mascot? For one, they’ve got to have a cool look. A perfect mascot must be right in the sweet spot where adults and children can both enjoy their presence at games. It also doesn’t hurt for them to have some sort of unique thing that they do. Whether that’s some kind of dance, comedic bit, or controversy, it’s important that the team’s ambassador finds a way to stand out from the crowd.

Let’s start with some mascots that have separated themselves with their unique look.

Brutus, Ohio State Buckeyes 

Brutus has been representing the Ohio State University since 1965, with a simple yet iconic look that has become legendary over the years. Brutus can be seen punking on the rival Michigan Wolverines, appearing in commercials with Richard Simmons, and representing the school at several mascot competitions over the year.

One of the funnier cameos that Brutus had was getting eaten by a giant squirrel on The Daily Show in 2016, a joke based on him being a nut. He’s probably the most identifiable mascot in college football, and will likely be around for years to come.

The Raptor, Toronto Raptors

If you want to find the absolute perfect mascot, look no further than the only Canadian NBA team’s spokesman. Despite an incredibly lazy name, The Raptor has a fun look that makes it easy to root for him. He’s been the Raptors mascot since 1995, missing the 2013-2014 season due to a backflipping injury. He also has been in the news for some interesting antics over the years.

The Raptor had a hilarious fued with visiting player Robin Lopez, angering him so much that he pushed him to the ground after being mocked in a game in 2015. He also appears to have some game. He was seen pulling out all the stops to court Canadian actress Rachel McAdams, brazenly giving her flowers and gifts during a game in 2016.

Lou Seal, San Francisco Giants

Is there a swaggier mascot in Major League Baseball right now? I’m not sure that there’s another spectacled mascot in pro sports, as Lou Seal successfully pulls off a gnarly pair of goggles. Pay no attention to the fact that seals don’t need goggles to see underwater, it’s still cool.

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Lou Seal is a great example of a great idea based on location, and an homage to a past team. If you’ve ever been to San Francisco, you know that there are oodles of opportunities to see this animal, most notably in Ano Nuevo State Park. Especially considering that the Giants’ stadium famously lends itself to home run balls reaching the bay, going with a seal was a great call. The idea was also in reference to the San Francisco Seals, a team that played in the Pacific Coast League until 1957.

 

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