March Madness is upon us, and as we flick on the TV and colleges campuses all around the country fill up the bleachers with screaming fans, it seems only fitting to take a look beyond the court and see who is cheering these teams on. While the outfits of the fans can be fun to watch, it’s usually the furry friends that take center stage. I’m of course talking about the team mascot!
The school’s mascot says a lot about the spirit and enthusiasm of a team. They are the ones who help rile up a crowd and often have their name and face plastered all over a campus. So which mascots would the paparazzi be lining up to capture a shot of and which ones are a little, how do you say, out of the ordinary? From Wildcats to Trolls, Bulldogs, and Gophers, there are mascots out that will make you laugh, and some that will no doubt leave you scratching your head.
Let’s start with the front-runners of this year’s tournament and teams that are predicted to go far. Could you name their mascots? Do you think you’ve ever heard of them, or could guess if someone made you try? If not, here is your chance to catch up. Feel free to jot down notes—stump your friends with new trivia!
The Kentucky Wildcats. The University of Kentucky has enthusiastic and obviously athletic students. Their fans are often referred to as the Big Blue Nation. Wildcats are a popular mascot—Kansas State is also home of the Wildcats, but the obviously prefer purple and white!
Syracuse is another team that is on the “watch list” for this year’s games. They are looking fresh and are ready to roll, coincidently so is their mascot—Otto the Orange! It may seem odd, an orange for a mascot, but you couldn’t ask for a brighter or healthier friend to cheer you on!
The Missouri Tigers are also roaring and ready for ball time. The home of Gold and Black have fans that are almost as fierce as their players and are sure to bring some tiger heat to the court!
Have you ever been to North Carolina? If you have I’m sure you’re familiar with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Their mascot is big horned Ram, Rameses. He has big ram muscles, a jersey and a huge following of fans. If I must say so myself, he looks great in blue!
I’m quite partial to the next team. The Kansas Jayhawks. I’m a Kansas girl, and have a brother who went to KU. And if you must know I still walk around wearing my 2008 National Championship shirt. I’m a La Salle Explorer now, but that won’t stop me from loving the Jayhawks through and through.
So what other reputable mascots are out there? Well of course there are the Duke Blue Devils, the Butler Bulldogs, and another family favorite—the Georgetown Hoyas, with “Jack the Bulldog” as the mascot.
Some mascots aren’t as mainstream, in fact may not have ever realized what they were!
Trinity College is home to the Trolls. And then there’s Whittier College, home of the Poets— Do you think they all have the gift of rhyme? Concordia College is home to the Cobbers. Their mascot is a human sized cob of corn, again a very healthy choice. You know for sure their students are getting their full serving of vegetables—whether they happen to be real or school spirit driven! Stanford University doesn’t have an “official” mascot, but their adopted cheerleader is the Standard Tree. It’s said that it even changes its leaves with every season!
Mascots can be the heart and soul of a campus, or just a figment of every student’s imagination. Whether your mascot is well known, or locally loved and cherished, each character or symbol tells a story and showcases a little of what makes your school unique! Here’s hoping we seen a wide range of these guys on the sidelines this March!
-Ring Queen
I’m reading Biology
As we have seen expressed for the Super Bowl, die-hard fans will stop at nothing to show support for their team. Many college kids feel the same about their college’s sports teams, but they have some obstacles in the way. The most problematic situation faced by those face-painted fans seems to be getting to the away games.
Needs some transportation ideas?
- Most obviously, check out what your school has to offer. In many cases, if there are enough foam fingers who are looking for a ride, strings can be pulled to get a bus rented through the Athletic Department of the school. If this fails, this idea can always be done privately. Can anyone say “Party Bus!”
- The Car Situation- What sounds cooler: carpooling or road tripping? Without a doubt, road tripping brings to mind movies like Little Miss Sunshine and Road Trip. No one wants a National Lampoon’s Vacation situation on their hands, so advertise to your friends you would like to get a road trip together for the next away game; don’t call it a carpool. This way you can incorporate other fun aspects of road trips like making a playlist and stopping at a diner half way through. No one does those things for carpools except for soccer moms…
- Public Transit- Pros: No one has to drive. Fun Atmosphere. Everyone stays together in one big group. Cons: Cost. Use this as your last resort, but if planes need to be involved, check out a price comparison site for cheap flights. You can also look at taking a Greyhound bus although that can make for a VERY long and sometimes scary trip.
Good luck and don’t forget to drink water! If you lose your voice at the big game, the after party might not be as much fun…
-TravelBug
I’m reading Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology
Facebook is not only used to stalk people you went to high school with and to keep in touch with current friends while in college. Collegiate athletes have been using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to promote their games, to grow their fan base, and to communicate well throughout their team.
Aside from Division I basketball and football teams, college sports do not get too much recognition. It is a sad sight when you and your team are all pumped up for a big game against a rival and you look at your stands and see only a few parents and maybe someone’s boyfriend.
To rectify this situation, getting the word out about your team on Facebook is one of the best steps to take. Between 80 and 90 percent of college students are not only on Facebook, but also are daily active users. Creating a Facebook event a week or so before that rival game and having everyone on the team invite their friends is a great way to sell those tickets.
Creating a Facebook page for your team is another great way to gain support. Having a team member create the page and invite their friends, then have other teammates “suggest friends” to their friends could be a great way to keep fans involved. Posting statuses bi-weekly or even daily about recent games would remind college students of the game on their Facebook News Feeds, which is a place they are known to look when using Facebook.
Twitter is another great promotional tool. Having teammates tweet a link to the school’s athletic website is a great way to start, along with tweeting game information.
Within a team, creating a Facebook group is a step closer to great communication, and one step away from those pestering group text messages. Ensuring that everyone has and uses Facebook is obviously essential before doing so. Also creating the group based off of the roster is a must to guarantee no one is forgotten.
Finally, posting highlights on YouTube shows college students why they should go to your game. Getting a parent or the school even to video tape a game and having a film student edit it into a highlight reel could then be posted to YouTube and posted on the team’s Facebook page, tweeted, and posted by teammates.
Good luck this upcoming season and best of luck packing those stands!
-TravelBug
I’m reading Chemistry: Principles and Reactions
Across the U.S., people are digging themselves out of the heaps of snow and bundling up to combat the freezing temperatures. More snow is on the way for much of the midwest and northeast. Most people are tuning into the Winter Olympic Games for entertainment. With the Olympics in full swing, there have already been many stories to come out of Vancouver. The U.S. is atop the medal count after a dominating men’s half pipe show by Shaun White, performing a Double McTwist 1260, American Evan Lysacek upset Russian Evgeni Plushenko in men’s figure skating and Lindsey Vonn won gold for women’s Alpine Skiing. There is more then a week of competition still to come and here are my top three events that I will be looking forward to watch ing the rest of the way.
4 men Bobsled- Ever since I watched Cool Runnings, when I was a boy, I have been enamored with this sport. Four men running, jumping and pushing speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour flying down an icy track. The U.S., captained by Steve Holcomb, is looking for their first gold since 1948. Sadly, the Jamaican bobsled team failed to qualify for this year’s games.
Men’s Speed Skating- American and Sports Illustrated cover boy, Apollo Ohno, has already tied Bonnie Blair as the all-time U.S. medal count leader by taking silver in the men’s 1500m. He still has three more chances (including individual men’s 1000m) to become the most decorated athlete for the U.S. in all winter Olympics.
Curling- I am most excited about the Men’s Curling event. It seems to be the only sport where “Average Joes” compete. It is a lot like shuffleboard on ice, where one player slides a stone towards a “bull’s-eye” type target while two other teammates insanely brush in front of it to guide there rock into position to score points. It consists mostly of strategy, however as much as I enjoy it, it does not seem to require much athletic ability. The U.S. isn’t doing much thus far, but check it out as it is very entertaining.
Want to know more? Check this book out at eCampus.com:
The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition.
This will get you up to date on all the different events taking place.
Tim the Intern
I’m reading Tort Law and Alternatives
College basketball is in full swing, and here in Lexington, KY we know all about it. Here are a few tips to help you stay on top of things this basketball season.
Be Informed – read the latest news, watch a little sportcenter, or pick up the new ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. All of these are great resources to keep you ready and on top of your basketball knowledge this year.
Be the Best dressed – you don’t always have to spend a whole bunch of money, be creative. What says super-fan better than embarrassing yourself with bodypaint in the name of your favorite squad.
Go to the games- Even if you have to camp out for 4 days in snow, sleet, or hail, get those tickets and be there for the big exciting wins.
SeanJohn
I am reading Lifespan Development
