The Best and Worst of Team Mascots

Ah... the team mascot. For years, they have graced the sidelines of sports fields and arenas everywhere. Mascots do everything from entertaining a cheering crowd of fans to creatively drawing attention to a school's sports program. Nevertheless, they are a symbol of pride for many teams regardless of the sport.

Some mascots are crowd hits, while others can be quite strange. Here is a list of five team mascots that stand out for being among the best, worst, and most bizarre in the business.

Most Unique

Certainly one of the most unique team mascots comes from Poca High School in the tiny town of Poca, West Virginia. Ironically, the school is home to the Poca Dots football team. With a play on the words "polka dot", the team mascot looks somewhat like an angry red version of Pac-Man.

Strangest

Some teams select mascots that appear powerful and fierce like lions, wolves, ancient warriors, and mythical beasts. Others teams select mascots that are cute and cuddly to entertain families with small children. However, the University of California Santa Cruz must have had other things in mind when they selected the Banana Slug as their official mascot. According to the University, the name came from a yellow, shell-less mollusk found in the campus's redwood forest.

Worst

Oftentimes, mascots leave fans wondering what the team was thinking. This seems to be that case for Minor League Baseball's Altoona Curve, a farm-up team for the Pittsburg Pirates. Steamer the steam engine is an awkward-looking green blob with a smokestack-shaped head. In fact, he looks more like a seven foot tall Heineken bottle than a steam engine. While Steamer isn't their only mascot, he certainly looks like he doesn't belong.

Most Entertaining

Western Kentucky University certainly has a winner when it comes to their mascot. Since his debut in 1979, Big Red has been a hit not only for the Hilltoppers' basketball fans, but has found fame across the nation. He has won many awards including the "Key to Spirit" award from the Universal Cheerleading Association and has been nominated to the Capital One All-American Mascot Team several times.

Most Recognizable

Growing up in Ohio, I was always exposed to the passion and dedication that surrounds the Ohio State University football team. Along with being one of the most successful teams in college football, they have one of the most recognizable mascots. Brutus Buckeye, named and designed after the nut from the state buckeye tree, has been a major part of OSU football movement since his inception in 1965. You don't have to be a fan of OSU to know which team Brutus represents. After all, how many mascots can you think of that have a nut for a head?

While there are many mascots out there, we can agree that each one whether good or bad represents the dedication and excitement of being a fan. Sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose. No matter what, a great deal of team sprit can be owed to these fun-loving, crowd-entertaining creatures.

Sources:

Poca High School, "The Dots are Back." Poca Football.
UC Santa Cruz, "How the Banana Slug Became UCSC's Official Mascot." About UC Santa Cruz.
The Altoona Curve, "Curve Mascot Bios." The Altoona Curve official website.
Western Kentucky University, "Big Red." Western Kentucky University website.
Ohio State University, "Brutus Buckeye." Coach Tressel website.