By Sydney Barber
Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! These ferocious animals are often the chosen symbols of colleges across the United States, aiming to rally students and intimidate opposing teams. During halftime they not only provide crowds with a sense of empowerment, but also entertainment as they dance alongside cheerleaders and wrestle with rival team mascots.
But what fun is it to see a cougar mascot fighting an eagle for the hundredth time? There are far more creative mascots to be found among American colleges. These are a few of our favorite halftime heroes!
The Artichoke
Sports mascots fit for stir-fry? Hailing from Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale, AZ, Artie the Artichoke is everything but intimidating. A leafy, green vegetable with a friendly face, he was originally the brainchild of enraged SCC students in the 1970s who felt that the school’s administration was funneling needed scholarship money into the various sports programs, according to scottsdalecc.edu. In response, the student body voted for a new mascot and team colors meant to embarrass the school and administration. With an overwhelming number of votes, Artie took on his role as Scottsdale’s new mascot and now still stands as a symbol of unity and kinship for the students and faculty of SCC.
The Banana Slug
In its natural habitat, the bright yellow banana slug is found on forest floors such as the Redwoods, not on turf fields. However, the case is different for the University of California Santa Cruz’s Sammy the Slug. For 29 years, Sammy has served as the UCSC mascot and has proven that despite his name, he is all but sluggish. According to ucsc.edu, After a five-year battle with the UCSC administration in the 1980s over which mascot (the slug or the sea lion) should reign supreme, the students finally claimed their victory and deemed the shell-less mollusk the most suitable symbol of school pride.
Despite Sammy’s vibrant color and always-pleasant facial expression, he is arguably one of the most intimidating mascots for opposing teams. Triggering unease in competition and excitement in his fans, Sammy the Slug is beloved and accepted by all of USCS, even the faculty.
The Tree
The subject of much controversy, the Stanford Tree has paraded around Stanford University’s athletic events since 1975 as the school’s unofficial mascot. According to gostanford.com, after years of being known as the Stanford Indians, students and faculty banded together in 1972 to protest against the offensive mascot for its derogatory connotation. After years of dispute, the mascot was finally abolished and Stanford settled on being represented solely by the color cardinal red. However, students felt that a symbol of their school pride was necessary and thus produced the Stanford Tree.
According to The Stanford Daily, every year a tree committee pushes daring candidates to the ultimate test in order to prove that they are “tree-worthy.” They are put to physical tests for a week to evaluate their agility, skill and ability to be the best possible tree. The SU Tree also boasts a new costume every year made by the preceding year’s tree.
So next time you’re thinking of attending a college sports game, why settle for a team with a lame mascot when you could be rallying behind an artichoke, banana slug or tree? It is often the teams with the oddest mascots that prove to be the most loved and cheered by fans in the stadiums. If vegetables, mollusks and woody plants don’t draw you in, what will?
Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! These ferocious animals are often the chosen symbols of colleges across the United States, aiming to rally students and intimidate opposing teams. During halftime they not only provide crowds with a sense of empowerment, but also entertainment as they dance alongside cheerleaders and wrestle with rival team mascots.
But what fun is it to see a cougar mascot fighting an eagle for the hundredth time? There are far more creative mascots to be found among American colleges. These are a few of our favorite halftime heroes!
The Artichoke
Sports mascots fit for stir-fry? Hailing from Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale, AZ, Artie the Artichoke is everything but intimidating. A leafy, green vegetable with a friendly face, he was originally the brainchild of enraged SCC students in the 1970s who felt that the school’s administration was funneling needed scholarship money into the various sports programs, according to scottsdalecc.edu. In response, the student body voted for a new mascot and team colors meant to embarrass the school and administration. With an overwhelming number of votes, Artie took on his role as Scottsdale’s new mascot and now still stands as a symbol of unity and kinship for the students and faculty of SCC.
The Banana Slug
In its natural habitat, the bright yellow banana slug is found on forest floors such as the Redwoods, not on turf fields. However, the case is different for the University of California Santa Cruz’s Sammy the Slug. For 29 years, Sammy has served as the UCSC mascot and has proven that despite his name, he is all but sluggish. According to ucsc.edu, After a five-year battle with the UCSC administration in the 1980s over which mascot (the slug or the sea lion) should reign supreme, the students finally claimed their victory and deemed the shell-less mollusk the most suitable symbol of school pride.
Despite Sammy’s vibrant color and always-pleasant facial expression, he is arguably one of the most intimidating mascots for opposing teams. Triggering unease in competition and excitement in his fans, Sammy the Slug is beloved and accepted by all of USCS, even the faculty.
The Tree
The subject of much controversy, the Stanford Tree has paraded around Stanford University’s athletic events since 1975 as the school’s unofficial mascot. According to gostanford.com, after years of being known as the Stanford Indians, students and faculty banded together in 1972 to protest against the offensive mascot for its derogatory connotation. After years of dispute, the mascot was finally abolished and Stanford settled on being represented solely by the color cardinal red. However, students felt that a symbol of their school pride was necessary and thus produced the Stanford Tree.
According to The Stanford Daily, every year a tree committee pushes daring candidates to the ultimate test in order to prove that they are “tree-worthy.” They are put to physical tests for a week to evaluate their agility, skill and ability to be the best possible tree. The SU Tree also boasts a new costume every year made by the preceding year’s tree.
So next time you’re thinking of attending a college sports game, why settle for a team with a lame mascot when you could be rallying behind an artichoke, banana slug or tree? It is often the teams with the oddest mascots that prove to be the most loved and cheered by fans in the stadiums. If vegetables, mollusks and woody plants don’t draw you in, what will?