DB: No timetable for Michigan mascot
I searched the site, I was sure this would have already of been posted but found nothing.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon says the school has discussed the possibility of a mascot for the Wolverines, but that it's "not an active project."
There was a bit of a stir when Brandon was quoted in the online magazine Michigan Today saying the university is "interested in doing a mascot but it has to be something that fans love."
Brandon tells The Associated Press that a mascot is something Michigan has discussed because the school wants to connect with younger fans. However, he says there's "no timetable" and no current project to come up with one.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6674534
Has anyone heard anything about this? thoughts?
Phew.
The title was kinda funny, though.
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/live-animals-willy-wolverine-rich-eisen-gro…
We tried bringing a live Wolverine to a few games in the early 20th century, but it proved to be too dangerous. As was noted at the time, "It was obvious that the Michigan mascots had designs on the Michigan men toting them, and those designs were by no means friendly."
That's why we don't have a mascot. The only cool mascots are real(ish) ones - live animals, or guys like the USC Trojan who dress up in somewhat realistic outfits. All other mascots are unbearably stupid.
I don't know, the Oregon Duck is pretty awesome
If I ever see this kind of bullshit in Michigan Stadium, I will die of a heart attack on the spot. Videos like this make such a strong argument as to why this is the dumbest thing in the world.
Count me unimpressed.
I think it is funny...
I never get past the Oregon cheerleaders...they are HOT HOT HOT!
Well a real live Wolverine hasn't experienced Brady Hoke pointing at it. I'm sure the ferocious little guy would play nice after a Hoke finger point!
Debate could just smile at one and make it less ferocious....
If OSU ever tries that crap with the bomb sniffing dogs again, we should release some live wolverines on them.
The Trojan mascot is woefully inaccurate as a representation of a Trojan warrior (a guy in Roman gladiator armor with a legionary's helmet... on horseback??). More stylish than most mascots, but to learned men it is a ridiculous farce on par with you average cartoony nonsense.
I can't help but wonder if this was a trial balloon:
- DB: "Who wants a mascot?"
- Everyone: [crickets]
- DB: "Um... good. Me neither. Glad we cleared that up."
Well, we're 1-1 on DB "trial balloons": after a lot of people were up in arms about a possible OSU game move, it didn't happen. On the other hand, the night game jersey "trial balloon" turned out to be "actual prototype".
Basically, it sounds like DB WANTS a mascot, but hasn't found a good design yet. If he does (and let's keep in mind his current track record on "good designs that everyone will be happy with") I'm a bit concerned.
Except the jerseys actually look fine with pads and the players love them and so do recruits so yeah I'd count that as a win for brandon. Also as I posted in the other mascot thread one of these days you guys are going to realize the mascot isn't aimed to make your experience better its aimed at kids, for example if the team made a trip to motts children hospital the kids there would not only love to see their favourite players but also to take a picture with the mascot because well, kids love mascots and that's why they exist.
My comment was not a statement on the jerseys themselves, merely pointing out that something that was rumored to be a "trial balloon" was nothing of the sort. It's also undeniable that the general public response to the jerseys (and not just on this site) was "eww" and when they were seen in pads was "not as bad as it could have been". Hardly an unqualified win. I for one am in the "meh, but okay for one game" camp - which seems to be a very sizeable one.
And I kind of like being the only school without a mascot. It's unique in a way that a corporate designed fuzzy character never will be. I like the idea that wolverines are simply too ferocious to be turned into a mascot. Plus Denard smile > dead mascot eyes any day.
Never.
I'm not comfortable with "no timetable."
I'd be more comfortable with "No freaking possibility. Are you freaking kidding me?"
I agree. With this AD, "no timetable" means, "As soon as no one's looking I'm doing this."
Michigan should not be pandering to the lowest common denominator.
My wife says I have to stop ranting about this, and she's right, so I'll stop now.
This is the University of Michigan. Everything is scrutinized to death. When will "no one be looking"?
"Something to connect with younger fans." That means a cartoon type costume with a big happy face. Would feel like the same dong punch that Lucas layed on me with Jar Jar Binks.
Whenever I think of a "cuddly" mascot for Michigan, all I imagine is Wisconsin's mascot but maize and blue.
UofM connected with me as a young person. All it took was some awesome wins and a shake of Grbacs hand after a game. Sold. For. Life. I didn't need a stinkin mascot.
the timetable most commonly referred to as "A Fucking Eternity" is still a possibility?
Put me down for that.
Only Sparty is lame enough to stage a mascot fight
I'm noticing some piped-in RAWK music too. If MSU thinks something is a good idea then obviously it's the exact opposite, and is in fact a bad idea
Lloyd Brady is Michigan's mascot.
I'll pass on the mascot. I've never been a fan of mascots... or clowns for that matter. I think one would be detrimental to our team's image and would not enhance the game experience in any way. I also think turning a badass wolverine into a furry disneyworld-like mascot would not do it justice.
this was one of the bright lines we always drew between ourselves and pig stupid.
Exactly.
I'll bet Brandon's market research consisted of a grandchild or other relative aksing for a mascot.
If "the market" demanded clowns and fire trucks, Brandon would get all "innovative" on us and we'd have clowns and fire trucks with M logos.
Actually, I'm down with clowns wearing red and grey bow ties being hosed by firemen in blue.
why so anti mascot? I grew up a maryland fan before coming to michigan for college and loved the turtle. It isn't stupid when its clearly directed at kids, you are stupid for thinking dave brandon gives a shit about your old kidless ass when deciding on a mascot.
I've got kids, when I feel like buying kiddie crap for my kids there are about 14 billion venues to enable that.
Michigan just doesn't need it.
Why would you want Michigan to be more like Chuck E Cheese?
Hell, our national demographics are all skewing older anyway, why not more maize & blue dentures or block M® titanium hip joints!?
It's called "University of Michigan Hospital System." It's a business, kid.
How much longer until you're in a nursing home with no internet access?
Can it be, that the same people rooting for the whole stadium -- 110,000 strong -- to be standing and screaming for the entire game are the same people who want to see Michigan with a sideline mascot?
How exactly would that work, for little kids who come to the Big House to see a big cuddly Wolverine? Standing in a sea of six-foot adults?
I'm struck by the fact that when opposing teams come to our stadium, and they bring a mascot, all of our young fans are lined up to see if they can get a picture taken with it, whether it's the Penn State Nittany Lion or Sparty," Brandon told Michigan Today. "That's a little annoying to me."
Maybe that's how since you know it's already happening with other teams' mascots? How is other schools manage to do it? Like I said, I don't care either way but the arguments against it are pretty bad.
from The Michigan Today about our history with mascots
I knew about the live wolverine, never knew we had dogs as de facto mascots in the early Bo era
The dogs really weren't like mascots. They rolled a ball up and down the field a couple of times when there was no one on it, and then were taken away.
as much as i like this guy i still don't want him in costume form. i feel like at this point NOT having a guy in a costume is kind of a tradition.
So was a pure-oval stadium without luxury boxes and so was a gameday uniform not gussied up with "throwback" stripes. Many MGoBloggers laid out elaborately-reasoned and passionate arguments against both those things, and others argued just as vehemently in favor of them. Everybody thinks that the tradition they personally favor is somehow sacrosanct and ordained by the gods, when in fact it's all just personal opinion. I was in favor of the expansion and not in favor of the throwbacks, but the market has apparently spoken loudly in favor of both, which is something DB pays attention to.
It looks like a bear or a gopher or something. However, I do love and own the shirt in your avatar. Maybe our mascot could just be a big mitten.
It will be well-designed—i.e., not cartoonishly stupid—and the stuffed animal version for small kids (and girlfriends) will sell like gangbusters. If there had been one around when my daughter was small, I would have bought one for her in a heartbeat.
ALL mascots are cartoonishly stupid. It's an axiom.
You got here just in the nick of time. Awesome deployment of "axiomatic."
Oh, and Don; you want a cuddly Michigan thing for your girl? Enter the search terms <Michigan Wolverines teddy bear> into Google Images. Within a few miliseconds, you will be looking at more than a dozen images of different Michigan-themed teddy bears. In a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Something to fit your price range. With M sweaters, cheerleader outifts, graduation gowns, pink(?!) sweaters... you name it.
I find this whole idea so revolting, I wonder if it could be possible for someone to make an unrestricted gift to the Athletic Department, on the condition that Michigan never, ever endorse a live mascot anywhere on the campus? In other words, bribe Brandon and pay a ransom fee to make sure it never happens. We at least might find out how much it is worth to Brandon. I'd chip in. I'll voluntarily up my PSD to ensure that it never happens.
i mostly agree. the vast majority are just stupid. i actually think that the nittany lion is so ridiculous-looking that it becomes awesome again though. cal's oski has that same sort of awesomely bad factor going on.
It's so incredibly stupid that it's funny. I also think that the students put it together rather than the school itself.
Yeah, some of those work, esp the Stanford tree, within the context of that school. I sure do hope, however, that "awesomely bad" is not something people say about Michigan ever.