Because everybody needs a mascot.
December 23, 2009 by wmmascot
The members of William & Mary’s Wesley Foundation decided to get in on the fun and come up with a mascot of their own. The Wesley Foundation is the United Methodist campus ministry at the College.
In a move that parallels the W&M Mascot search, the Wesley Foundation’s mascot search is underway and they recently unveiled their own “final five.”
- the United Methodist cross and flame with REAL FIRE
- a dragon
- a Wesley Foundation couch
- John Wesley (bobble head, of course)
- Mr. Lemonade
Students, alumni, faculty and staff in the Wesley Foundation community can find more info about the Wesley Mascot Search on their website.
- Susan T. Evans
2 Responses to “Because everybody needs a mascot.”
The King and Queen should represent the student body and be delegated mascoting duties.
A mascot is a marketing tool that can increase spirit and the entertainment at sporting events. A successful mascot can lead to corporate sponsorships, publicity, and community outreach in general. It is an added bonus when the mascot overlaps with the history of the institution and provides some insight to the culture or background of the school. Some of the best nicknames promote local culture, or promote a unique niche that differentiates the school. For instance the Philadelphia 76ers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee Volunteers all have a historical context that enriches the relationship between community and team and traces the origin of the nickname to history or local culture.
The King and Queen would be a successful duo because they would provide a balanced team and accomplish both goals of spirit and history. The Burger King brand has run a successful marketing campaign using the “bobblehead” King. His commercials are hilarious, and the Washington Nationals also cashed in with historically based bobble heads. The Nationals have a race along the baseball diamond in-between innings; the race is the same 4 presidents each time (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt). Teddy never wins and it actually became a cute storyline throughout the year. William and Mary would be able to have two mascots walking the stadium at home games (providing double the spirit) and also opening the door for great sponsorships and community partnerships. They could have a timeout skit where they each sit on their throne, and the announcer plugs the Hospitality House indicating you too could be treated like royalty.
The king and queen also accomplish the second goal of providing insight of WM history and education to the students, community, and nation. WM has a rich history, but few students or Americans for that matter know exactly where William and Mary personally fit in. The mascots would keep our history relevant and enlighten people of all ages about the great history of the College. Again corporate partnerships come to mind with Colonial Williamsburg, where the mascots could make appearances to kids on school field trips. The mascots provide a quick history lesson while placing Tribe sports on the subconscious back-burner.
The King and Queen make the most sense out of the finalist nicknames because their versatility achieves several marketing objectives and they would help relate our institution to its historical roots. The recent success of historical bobble head mascots demonstrates the ability to increase spirit at events and in the community. The historical ties would benefit the College because Williamsburg is living history and it would help explain why these figures own the namesake of our cherished College. The fact that you would really have two mascots (one guy, one girl) is gender neutral and politically correct: just icing on the cake.
A cross with flames is a questionable concept to advertise as a “mascot” concept. It is not what the Foundation intended, it clearly has another meaning to the Methodists, but a cross with flames (burning cross) is commonly associated with several hate groups. It illustrates well the pitfalls of not considering potential interpretations or the full history of a symbol. When you submit an idea outside the confines of a group, it will be subject to wider interpretation. Likewise, weak mascot images for W&M will be reinterpreted by opponents and detractors.
How others will interpret or misuse symbolism should be evaluated when choosing an athletic/school mascot. It is also important to understand the ramifications of misinterpreting history or mischaracterizing peoples…an element underlying the NCAA “indian” edict. One should actually read the the NCAA decision before rejecting it. Perpetuating inaccuracies is a crime against history and is contradictory to the purpose of an institution of higher learning.