September is that glorious time of year when both college and pro football have started, baseball is gearing up for the playoffs, the US Open is in full swing, and high school sports start dotting our Friday nights. As we cheer on our favorite teams, many bring their own superstitions to plus up the luck so their side can win. Whether it’s a specific jersey or a certain couch spot that must be sat in for the entire game, we’ll do whatever we can for our teams to bring home the victory. Another piece of good luck? History would say, mascots.

We know mascots today as the furry, big-headed, t-shirt cannon shooting humanoids who bring spirit to a set of fans and often scare little children. Think Blooper from the Braves, Freddie the Falcon, or Hairy Dawg. But their origins are far more meaningful than the picture-posing, hype animals that we see today.

The word “mascot” comes from the French word “mascotte” which was used by gamblers in the 1800’s as a term for “lucky charm.” It often stood for something they’d keep in their pocket for luck- a coin, a lock of hair, or some other small trinket. We see this idea of a good luck charm moving into the sports realm in the 1800’s when a baseball team’s bat boy name Chic was seen to help hitters when he touched their bat. 

Chic, a cute, spriteful young lad, was soon replaced on the whole with animals that could be brought to every game and embodied a fighting spirit to surge the team to victory. Most of the 1900’s continued this way until the rise in popularity of Jim Henson’s The Muppets in the 1950’s.

The Muppets brought about a nationwide love for fuzzy, furry, adult-controlled puppet actors which were admittedly much cheaper, safer, and easier to keep than actual live animal mascots (or, like Chic, children!). 

Since then, mascots have donned super sized suits in all sorts of colors, textures, shapes, and sizes. While they may be less of a good luck charm as they were first envisioned, mascots still bring a sense of unity, pride, and identity through their team-centered exuberance and playfulness.
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