Use of Mascots in Colleges and Universities Helps to Bolster Spirits

Dating back to the 1800's the use of mascots inuniversities view using live animal mascots as a
colleges and universities has helped to foster pridelong standing tradition that is harmless. Animal
and raise the spirit of fans. At the earliestrights activists feel it is inhumane and unethical and
incarnation, mascots used on college andneeds to end.
university campuses for sports were largely liveMany Mascots Resemble Those in Professional
animals. This has become a tradition and someSports
campuses still practice this even today. MascotsSeveral colleges and universities don't use live
for hundreds perhaps thousands of years havemascots. Their mascots are very much like the
been viewed as symbols of luck.ones seen at professional football, soccer, and
This is why some college and universities will stillbasketball games. Someone wears a suit and
bring out a live animal onto the field as a mascotbecomes the personality for the team. A lot of
to get the crowd involved. Animals such as: lions,intense training can go into becoming a mascot
tigers, buffaloes, and bulldogs have been used asfor a college or university. The person has to
live mascots to name a few. The Coloradohave a high level of energy, be enthusiastic and
Buffaloes will often bring a buffalo out onto theirengaging, be able to give the mascot "personality,"
home field during half-time. Boosters at mostand adopt gestures befitting a mascot.
campuses supply the necessary funds for theMany will learn dances, mime, perform skits,
feeding and upkeep of live mascots.waves flags with the crowds, or hold up signs to
Use of Live Mascots a Controversy for Collegesget the crowd involved. It is quite the acting job
and Universitiesand demands that the person performing as the
However, the use of live animals as mascots onmascot maintain consistent, upbeat, and positive
college and university campuses has been fraughtbehavior. It's not only important for the mascot
with controversy. People for the Ethicalto interact with other college students. A mascot
Treatment of Animals (PETA) has had much toneeds to be accessible to all college and university
say about the use of animals as mascots overfans such as alumni, community, faculty, and
the years. Many people in the group feel that it ischildren of fans.
unethical and perhaps unhealthy to keep animals inCollege and University Mascots aren't Always
captivity for the sole purpose of being a mascot.Stereotypical
Their concern arises amid some animal mascotsThe use of mascots in colleges and universities do
dying such as a tiger from renal failure.not always fall along stereotypical lines. Mascots
PETA argues that the cages that the animals areare often patterned for characteristics of the
kept in are barely large enough to allow for freeschool or the students attending the schools. The
movement. Also, sometimes temperatures canboll weevil has been used in college sports as the
be extreme and having thousands of fans in onemascot for The University of Arkansas at
place near the animal can cause it distress. RivalMonticello. Some would argue that it doesn't look
schools will at times steal the mascot of otherlike a formidable foe. Yet, it is one of the biggest
schools. This is an ongoing controversy that hasn'tdetriments to cotton crops in the U.S.
come to a clean end. Some colleges and