The SEC has decided that Bevo, the Texas Longhorns' live mascot, will not attend the SEC championship game against Georgia due to space limitations at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Despite efforts to find alternatives, the narrow sidelines and necessary equipment for the game make it unsafe for Bevo to be present. Meanwhile, Georgia's live mascot, Uga XI, will attend the game. Bevo will remain in Texas, continuing a tradition that began in 1916.
The SEC has decided not to allow Texas' mascot, Bevo, to attend the SEC Championship game against Georgia due to space limitations at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Bevo, a large longhorn steer, requires a significant enclosure, which the stadium cannot accommodate without compromising safety. Georgia's mascot, Uga XI, will attend the game, as it is a short trip from Athens. The decision recalls a 2019 incident where Bevo charged at Uga during a pregame photo op.
Indianapolis International Airport has installed a full-sized basketball court in the main area to celebrate the city hosting NBA All-Star Weekend for the first time in nearly 40 years. The court, featuring mascots from Indiana pro teams and students, has become a unique attraction for travelers and locals alike. The project, spearheaded by airport employees and local businesses, aims to immerse visitors in the Hoosier basketball culture. While shooting on the court is restricted for safety reasons, the initiative has garnered widespread attention and excitement, adding to the buzz surrounding the NBA event.
College football bowl season witnessed bizarre marketing stunts, with a Pop-Tart mascot being eaten by Kansas State players and West Virginia's coach getting a mayo bath, courtesy of the Duke's Mayo Bowl. The Cheez-It mascot also made a cheeky appearance with a "Non-Edible Mascot" sign. These stunts, particularly the Pop-Tart's "sacrifice," generated significant social media buzz and exposure, valued at over $12 million. These antics are seen as a creative solution to boost interest in non-playoff bowl games, which struggle with relevance due to player opt-outs and varying national interest.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell expressed his desire to have a live lion as a team mascot, but the NFL has frowned upon the idea. While Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp was supportive, the league office deemed it too risky. Live animal mascots are more common in college football, but the NFL has allowed live horses and hawks as mascots. The Lions will have to stick with their current mascot, Roary.
Governor Josh Shapiro's administration organized a ceremony to celebrate the reopening of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia, which was rebuilt in just 12 days after a gas tanker explosion took out the Cottman Avenue overpass. The reopening was commemorated by mascots from all five major league Philadelphia sports teams, union workers, TikTok influencers, and the president of the United States. The temporary roadway that reconnects the collapsed segment is built atop a big wall of foam glass sourced from Delco’s Aero Aggregates. PennDOT will begin to construct the permanent fix: a new overpass, built from the outside working in.
Mississippi State used artificial intelligence to generate bizarre images of its eight opponent mascots for the SEC 2024 conference opponents release. The images quickly went viral on social media, with fans screenshotting them for future meme purposes. Mississippi State's director of creative design and senior director of creative video revealed that they used a beta app for Photoshop and had to be specific in their AI prompts to create the images. The Tennessee orange head and Florida Gator with jorts were fan favorites. Vanderbilt also did an AI schedule graphic in a more artistic way.
Miami Heat's mascot, Burnie, received medical treatment at an emergency room after Conor McGregor punched him twice during a promotional bit at Game 4 of the NBA Finals. However, Burnie is expected to be ready for Game 6 on Thursday if there is one. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised Burnie's toughness and joked that he should have been allowed to take the first swing on McGregor. McGregor has not made any public comment about the incident.
Fans were shown NFL team logos and hilariously mistook them for other things, including Lightning McQueen and Chester Cheeto. Some even confused teams with different sports or mixed up their mascots. Despite the confusion, fans are excited for football season to begin.
A Twitter user asked AI to redesign every NFL mascot, resulting in a mix of adorable creatures and abominations. The Bengals and Raiders mascots were among the best, while the Giants and Patriots were among the worst. The Browns mascot was a mystery, and the Titans and 49ers mascots were hated.
New York state education officials have unanimously voted to ban public schools from using Indigenous team names, logos, or mascots. The use of all Indigenous imagery must be eliminated by the end of the current school year, and the prohibited names, logos, or mascots must be eliminated by the 2024-25 school year. The changes will become effective as a permanent rule on May 3, and non-compliant school officers could be removed or state aid could be withheld. The National Congress of American Indians supports the changes, stating that Native-themed mascots dehumanize Native people and diminish the diversity of their cultures.
The New York Board of Regents has voted to ban the use of Native American mascots, team names, and logos in the state’s public schools. While some parents view this as an unwelcome change, the Shinnecock and Unkechaug Indian Nations on Long Island are relieved that their concerns are finally being heard. New York’s 55 schools with Native American-themed mascots will need to rename their sports teams, which some worry will be a financial burden.
The Board of Regents in New York has voted to phase out Native American-related nicknames and imagery from public school teams, requiring nearly 60 school districts to eliminate all use of Indigenous-related mascots and imagery by the end of the 2024-2025 school year or risk losing state aid. The new ban does not apply to tribal schools. The move is part of a national effort to scrub racially insensitive imagery from sports teams, and follows similar bans in 20 other states. Some schools and politicians have criticized the move as prioritizing political correctness over education and history.
The New York State Department of Education has banned public school districts from using nicknames tied to Native American culture, including Liverpool and Westhill, which will be forced to change their team nicknames. Schools risk the removal of school officers and the withholding of state aid if the order is not followed. The ban also applies to schools with less obvious Native American connotations. An exemption to the order is included for federally- or state-recognized tribes to use the banned names, mascots and logos for sports teams comprised of their tribal members.
