They are cuddly, crazy, sometimes totally ugly - the mascots of the sports clubs.
Some clubs show a rather strange taste.
Anyone who is self-respecting in sport has their own
mascot
.
Whether soccer, basketball or American football - the big clubs and franchises have their own characters that should heat up the fans.
The
club mascot
is often
a fluffy, cute creature.
But some clubs have made
a strange decision
when choosing their
mascot
.
We present you the craziest mascots in the sports world:
"Magic hat" - Crailsheim Merlins (basketball)
+
© imago images / Eibner
The
Crailsheim Merlins have
also been involved
in the German
basketball league
for a number of years
.
As with the club name, the BBL club wanted to spray magic with its mascot.
The
“magic hat”
regularly ensures a good mood among the fans.
"Raider Red" - Texas Tech University (American Football)
+
© imago images / ZUMA Wire
Big cowboy hat, bushy schnauzer, revolver in hand - welcome to Texas!
At
Texas Tech University
, mascot
"Raider Red" is up
to mischief.
True to style with the gun at the ready.
But he can also be less martial ...
"Raider Red" also has a soft side
+
© imago images / ZUMA Press
Here
“Raider Red”
greets
his mascot colleague “Wilbur” from the
“Arizona Wildcats”
with a friendly hug.
"Cardinal" - Stanford Cardinals (basketball / American football)
+
© imago images / Icon SMI
At
Stanford University
in the
United States
, people are close to nature.
"Cardinal"
is the name of the always cheerful
tree
that
acts
as the mascot of the "
Stanford Cardinals"
.
"Boiler Man" - West Bromwich Albion (soccer)
+
© imago images / PA Images
English humor is world famous.
Was the first division soccer club “
West Bromwich Albion”
inspired when they decided on
“Boiler Man”
as their new mascot?
Probably not.
Why the choice fell on a heating boiler, of all things, can be explained by the main sponsor.
Because it comes from the heating industry.
"Stuff the Magic Dragon" - Orlando Magic (NBA / Basketball)
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© Stephen M. Dowell / imago images / ZUMA Wire
In the
NBA,
the wild
dragon "Stuff"
from "
Orlando Magic" is
one of the most eye-catching
mascots of
the best basketball league in the world.
It is particularly popular with the little fans.
Here he just grabbed a boy.
NBA mascot "Stuff" takes off
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© imago images / Icon SMI
Sometimes
"Sparky"
also
takes
on
basketball
himself
.
Then he shows extremely spectacular actions and proves that kites can fly.
"Grotifant" - KFC Uerdingen 05 (soccer)
+
© Roland Weihrauch / dpa / picture alliance
Sometimes it is not the mascots themselves who go astray.
In the case of the
"Grotifanten"
from the third division soccer club
KFC Uerdingen 05
, the actor in elephant costume caused some escapades.
Out of anger about a red card for a KFC player, he tore off his plush head and attacked the referee.
In addition, the
“Grotifant” in
2015 had a fight with its own fans.
The club reacted and exchanged the
"Grotifanten"
actor.
"Sparky" - Arizona State University (basketball / American football)
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© imago images / ZUMA Wire
Arizona State University
college team fans
are in league with the devil.
The mascot
“Sparky” is
heating them up here - armed with his trident.
"Moonbeam" and "Moonchester" - Manchester City (football)
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© Martin Rickett / dpa / picture alliance
It
is not known
from which planet the English soccer club
Manchester City got
their two mascots
"Moonbeam"
and
"Moonchester"
.
The two extraterrestrials apparently have no fear of contact with people: Here they take care of a 102-year-old
ManCity fan
.
"Hennes" - 1. FC Köln (soccer)
+
© Federico Gambarini / dpa / picture alliance
1. FC Köln has had
an animal lucky charm
since 1950
.
And he's a living animal made of flesh and blood.
Billy goat
“Hennes”
acts as the mascot of the Bundesliga soccer team.
"Hennes I." died in 1966
after 16 years of reign.
"Hennes IX."
Is now on the
sidelines of
the home games in the Cologne stadium.
FC striker Ujah grabs "Hennes VIII." By the horns
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© Thilo Schmülgen / dpa / picture alliance
In Cologne's 4-2 home win against Eintracht Frankfurt, then FC striker Anthony Ujah grabbed
“Hennes VIII.”
By the horns
after his goal
.
The Nigerian later apologized to the billy
goat
for his action in exuberance of emotions
.
Animal rights activists felt this badly.
"Wenlock" - Olympic Summer Games 2012, London
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© imago images / GEPA pictures
What was the British riding on?
On the occasion of the
2012 Summer Olympics
in
London
, the makers created
“Wenlock”
.
Who or what exactly it should represent is not revealed to the viewer.
"Batscot" - Valencia CF (soccer)
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© imago images / ZUMA Wire
In
Spain
bloodsuckers are very popular.
In football club
FC Valencia
animated
bat "Batscot"
viewers.
The animal can also be found in the club crest of the first division club.
"Coyote" - San Antonio Spurs (NBA / Basketball)
+
© Ashley Landis / dpa / picture alliance
Actually, the mascot of the "
San Antonio Spurs"
from the
NBA
is a rock solid popular figure.
Until you look
“Coyote”
in the eye.
They appear completely confused and almost frightening.
That doesn't seem to deter the cheerleaders of the basketball club.
"Crusty The Pie" - Wigan Athletic (soccer)
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© imago images / Focus Images
From a sporting point of view,
things
have been better
for the traditional English club “
Wigan Athletic”
.
The former first division team is now only third class.
But he draws
attention to himself
with his mascot
"Crusty"
and it is a
cake
.
A crazy idea that some kids are responsible for ...
English football club loves cake
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© imago images / PA Images
At the end of 2019, the club called
on
elementary school classes
to create
a new
mascot
.
“Crusty The Pie” was
named
the winner
.
But why a cake of all things?
“We
designed
'Crusty'
because everyone in Wigan loves cakes,” said the winning school class with a very simple explanation for their inspiration.
"Slider" - Cleveland Indians (MLB / Baseball)
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© Tannen Maury / dpa / picture alliance
The baseball franchise of the
"Cleveland Indians"
calls their mascot
"Slider"
.
It is difficult to say which animal the creature was modeled on with its bird-like appearance.
While the beak is reminiscent of an
eagle
, the pink fur is like a cross between a
pelican
and a
bear
.
“Slider”
could easily take part in
“The Masked Singer”
with his outfit
.
But the main thing is that the fans of the
MLB
club like it.
"Slamson" - Sacramento Kings (NBA / basketball)
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© imago images / ZUMA Wire
The "
Sacramento Kings"
from the
NBA
have a mascot of the wilder variety
.
On the basketball team, the
lion "Slamson"
gives
everything to
pull
the fans from their seats.
Here he goes on inline skates through the hall.
Sometimes he brings even more physical effort ...
Mascot "Slamson" delivers boxing matches at lofty heights
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© imago images / PanoramiC
... and goes to dangerous heights.
With huge stilts he fights a boxing match against another
mascot
.
The loser is threatened with a deep fall, that should hurt a lot.
"Victoria" - Benfica Lisbon (soccer)
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© Andreas Gebert / dpa / picture alliance
Like their colleagues from Cologne, the Portuguese top football club
Benfica Lisbon
also uses
a living animal as a good luck charm.
Eagle "Victoria"
is the official club mascot.
The mighty bird of prey soars once through the arena before each Benfica home game.
Mascot of the "Singapore Open" (badminton)
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© Wallace Woon / dpa / picture alliance
Why not just think very simply and pragmatically.
That was probably the approach of the organizers of the
"Singapore Open"
, a large
badminton
tournament.
In the Asian city-state, the playground equipment was quickly turned into a
mascot.
"Blue" - Indianapolis Colts (NFL / Football)
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© imago images / ZUMA Wire
Traditionally, the
Indianapolis Colts
NFL
franchise
plays
in blue and white.
So it is certainly not surprising that the mascot of the US football team goes by the English name
"Blue"
(German; editor's note)
.
But the fluffy creature is quite
versatile
.
Colts mascot "Blue" is very colorful
+
© imago images / ZUMA Wire
Again and again
"blue" changes
its color like a chameleon.
The
Colts mascot
is sometimes shown to fans in
green
or
pink
.
"Goleo" and "Pille" - Football World Cup 2006, Germany
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© Achim Scheidemann / dpa / picture-alliance
It was a
football
festival that
gave
Germany
the
summer fairy tale
.
At the
2006 World Cup
in their own country, many fans remember to this day you back.
The two mascots of the tournament still generate less enthusiasm today.
The lion “Goleo”
and his constant companion, the
ball “Pille”
, got on the nerves of many football fans.
Above all, the fact that
“Goleo”
liked it a little more airy downstairs was irritating.
Bearish support for Stade Rennais (soccer)
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© Loic Venance / AFP
He, too, obviously likes it a little more airy below.
He too loves full football stadiums.
We are
talking about the
bearded mascot of
the French football team
Stade Rennais
.
The cuddly polar bear with a hat usually heats up the football fans in the home stadium in
Rennes
- but the
coronavirus pandemic *
did not leave him without a trace.
In December 2020, the otherwise
happy polar bear ran a
little sadly through the empty ranks *.
"Rampage" - Los Angeles Rams (American Football)
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© Patrick T. Fallon / AFP
The
mascots also
have to make the most of the
Corona crisis
: close your eyes, open your mask and go through it.
At least that is the motto of “
Rampage”
, the mascot of the
NFL football team Los Angeles Rams
.
The horned
ram
does not
correspond to the image of a stubborn
ram
.
Together with his team,
"Rampage"
repeatedly helped with charitable food expenses in the Corona year 2020.
Bing Dwen Dwen - 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing
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© Noel Celis / AFP
In a festive ceremony in the
Shougang ice hockey arena,
China
revealed
the secret of its newest
mascot
: “
Bing Dwen Dwen” will
accompany the
2022 Olympic Winter Games
in Beijing
as a superlative plush panda
.
At first glance, the mascot looks flimsy, but “
Bing Dwen Dwen”
is largely “frozen”.
His name stands for "ice cream", but also for "alive" - maybe the
panda will
break free from its rigid corset ...
Shuey Rhon Rhon - Paralympics 2022, Beijing
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© Ju Huanzong / Imago
“
Bing Dwen Dwens”
co-mascot “
Shuey Rhon Rhon”
also makes a somewhat stiff impression
.
It is probably based on a kind of red lantern from the Chinese tradition.
Because it is to accompany the athletes of the
Paralympics
in Beijing in
2022
, its name means "snow", "
integration
" and "
tolerance
".
The "friendly" sun of Partick Thistle (soccer)
+
© Screenshot Twitter / Partick Thistle FC
As the
photo story has
already shown,
mascots are
above all cute, friendly and funny.
Not so apparently in
Scotland
.
The
first division team Partick Thistle FC
introduced "
Kingsley
" as a new
mascot
in
2015
.
The only happy thing about "Kingsley" is the color, because otherwise the
flattened plush sun
makes
an intimidating impression.
Mono-eyebrows, crooked teeth, empty eyes - don't the little football fans get nightmares?
"WuShock" - Wichita State Shockers (basketball)
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© Kendall Shaw / imago
The
mascot “WuShock” is
anything but friendly
- apparently the
“Wichita State Shockers” also
rely on deterrence rather than sympathy.
The
US basketball fans
heated
"Wushock"
a while neat, but we imagine the sight of the
mascot
probably the question of what exactly is it actually.
Some
suspect
a genetically manipulated
corn cob
...
"Trix & Flix" - European Football Championship 2008, Austria / Switzerland
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© Rongroj Yongrit / epa / dpa / Picture Alliance
In 2008,
“Trix & Flix” made
two countries unsafe, as they were the
mascots of
the
European Football Championship
, which
Austria
and
Switzerland
hosted together.
Although the two footballers with the spacey gel hairstyle quickly turned out to be children's favorites, it was rumored that they were just a cheap copy of the cartoon characters
"Fix & Foxy"
.
Special Effects for the New Orleans Pelicans (basketball)
+
© Layne Murdoch Jr./ NBAE / Getty Images / AFP
The
mascot of
the
US basketball team “New Orleans Pelicans” is of course
an imposing pelican.
He's also out and about as wild as a bird: During the game, he
cheers on
the
"pelicans"
while dribbling - during the breaks the
mascot
gets
on the motorcycle and speeds through the hall.
The audience likes its "special effect".
"Aggy" - TBB Trier (basketball)
+
© Eibner / imago
Jersey, glasses, black beard:
“Aggy”
, the mascot of the
basketball team of
the
TBB Trier,
also appears extremely human
.
The club no longer
exists
, but
“Aggy's” weird
look is legendary.
It was no accident ...
"Aggy" had a real template
+
© Krieger / imago
After all, the
hairy figure
"Aggy"
was the
likeness of
a real person.
If you compare the
physiotherapist of
the basketball team,
Axel Mock
, with the
mascot of the TBB Trier
, it becomes clear very quickly!
"Gritty" - Philadelphia Flyers (Ice Hockey)
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© Bruce Bennett / Getty Images / AFP
"Gritty"
, the mascot of the
US ice hockey team Philadelphia Flyers
, comes across as bright orange and super-shaggy.
Even if
“Gritty” could
easily work for “Sesame Street”, he still cuts an incredibly good figure on the ice!
Is the Arsenal FC mascot unemployed now?
+
© Adrian Dennis / AFP
Behind the incredibly popular green
dinosaur "Gunnersaurus Rex"
is the
Briton Jerry Quy
.
As a
mascot,
he has been heating up
the football fans of
Arsenal
for
years
and has been generating good votes in
the home stadium
in
London
.
In 2020 the headline came:
Arsenal FC
wants to
terminate
the part-time contract with its
mascot
- in order to reduce costs in the corona crisis.
"Benny the Bull" - Chicago Bulls (basketball)
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© Layne Murdoch Jr./ NBAE / Getty Images / AFP
"Benny the Bull"
is probably one of the most famous
mascots
.
For the
NBA league team “Chicago Bulls”
, the fiery red but tame
bull
provides plenty of entertainment on the
basketball floor
season after season
.
The cuddly giant can also regularly join the influencers and celebrities in the front row.
The Washington Nationals count on their national father
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© Ned Dishman / Getty Images / AFP
Who else should the
Washington Nationals have named
as their
mascot
?
None other than
George Washington
"himself" is the lucky charm of the
US baseball team
!
The sight is
always bizarre,
however, when the father of the
United States
hops across the field with Abraham Lincoln - complete with sports dress and oversized head.
“Ettie” - Women's World Cup 2019, France
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© Sebastian Gollnow / dpa / Picture Alliance
She
was also a
guarantee of
a
good mood
:
“Ettie”
, the chick.
In 2019 she was the
mascot of
the
Women's World Cup
in
France
.
“Ettie”
not only stood for concentrated female power on the pitch, but also wore blue and white stripes - as befits a stylish French woman.
"Gus" - Georgia Southern Eagles (American Football)
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© Chris Thelen / Getty Images / AFP
He's also a crazy bird:
"Gus",
the
mascot of
the US football team
"Georgia Southern Eagles"
.
It's logical that
“Gus” is
an
eagle
in the team name
.
With a mono-brow and a big grin on his face, he
clearly
feels at home in the heated
Allen E. Paulson Stadium
and among the many cheerleaders -
“Gus”
is and remains simply “Number 1” in Statesboro.
"Butler Blue III." - Butler Bulldogs Indianapolis (basketball)
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© Joe Robbins / Getty Images / AFP
The
mascot
"Butler Blue III."
Of
the
"Butler Bulldogs"
from
Indianapolis
is also animal-strong
.
As its almost royal-seeming name suggests, the
bulldog is
already the third
mascot of
its kind. Mentally,
“Butler Blue”
definitely
supports
his team with all his might, even if he can usually excite him a bone more than the basketball game.
"Rollo" - TV Hüttenberg (handball)
+
© Weiss / Eibner / imago
Not only
“Crusty”
the cake, but also
“Rollo”
the cheese works as a
mascot
.
Since 2017, the anything but stinky
“Rollo” has been
supporting
the German handball club TV Hüttenberg - and as a
hand cheese it
ensures a
lot of good mood in the hall.
Eight arms for the Detroit Red Wings (ice hockey)
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© imago / Icon SMI
The
ice hockey players of
the
"Detroit Red Wings"
have
an exotic but not too fluffy
mascot
, as
an eight-armed octopus welcomes their fans at the entrance to their home stadium in Detroit.
As an oversized, inflatable version, the
purple octopus is presented
in an extra intimidating manner wrapped in artificial fog over the ice surface.
"Pistol Pete" - Wyoming Cowboys (basketball)
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© Ethan Miller / Getty Images / AFP
"Pistol Pete" exudes
a touch of "Wild Wild West
"
.
The rustic gunslinger with a cowboy hat and mustache is the mascot of the
Wyoming cowboys
.
His team doesn't win by letting their
mascot
pull the Colt the fastest, but
“Pistol Pete”
definitely creates a good atmosphere on the field.
A "Bazi" for Bayern
+
© Frank Leonhardt / lby / dpa / Picture Alliance
Do you still know him?
Until 2004 the
“Bayern-Bazi” was
the official
mascot of FC Bayern Munich *
.
Sail ears, bulbous nose, lederhosen - today
“Bazi”
already works
rather strange, but when he was retired there were protests.
Bayern did
n't really want to accept
his successor
- "Berni"
the bear - at all.
"Brutus" - Ohio State Buckeyes (American Football)
+
© Scott Stuart / imago
Perhaps not very original, but all the more iconic:
“Brutus”
has been the mascot of the
“Ohio State Buckeyes”
for over 50 years
.
The lively chestnut has been cheering the US football team on since 1965.
* tz.de is part of the nationwide Ippen digital network.