Grassroots Campaign for the Next UL Mascot

[ZoomZoom]

I’m thankful for Cory putting the issue out there. In the end hopefully some positive comes out of it.

[Cajun Monkee]

Just my opinion, but an albino gator makes little sense and has no connection to the gators in The Swamp on campus and we have football stadium called The Swamp. The Gator fits both. We have a built-in tradition, why try some other mascot that has no university ties, be it a Catahoula or an AI? If a gator is colored, it should be Vermilion red or not colored and stays green.

This. I don’t know why, if, in fact, the new mascot is an alligator, it can’t be an alligator’s natural color, or vermilion.

And I know this is going to rustle some jimmies, but it has been said more than once on this site that football drives the bus.

And that football team is overwhelmingly, predominantly Black.

Do we really want to look at them and future recruits with a mascot that is purposefully white?

And as far as the Catahoula “leopard” dog goes, remember the pecker head from ESPN that had so much fun, toying with us during the name argument?

While I think the Catahoula, on the surface, is a cool idea, do we really want to give this jerk off of ESPN another opportunity to screw with us?

[JMV JustMyView]

This. I don’t know why, if, in fact, the new mascot is an alligator, it can’t be an alligator’s natural color, or vermilion.

And I know this is going to rustle some jimmies, but it has been said more than once on this site that football drives the bus.

And that football team is overwhelmingly, predominantly Black.

Do we really want to look at them and future recruits with a mascot that is purposefully white?

And as far as the Catahoula “leopard” dog goes, remember the pecker head from ESPN that had so much fun, toying with us during the name argument?

While I think the Catahoula, on the surface, is a cool idea, do we really want to give this jerk off of ESPN another opportunity to screw with us?

Do you guys know the race of the guy who has this idea? This has nothing to do with race.

[KajunKrazy]

I've never seen a green one like it's depicted in drawings and costumes.

Saw a few green costumed ones for sale at the Abbeville Walmart last month for $129 I will see if I can find the picture I took.

I never suggested green. You did. If in deed the mascot is a gator why not make the costume as close to realistic in color to the gators we see in the basin, lake martin, bayou teche.... and so on? No one has ever seen a gator with out pigmentation except for a rare occasion at the zoo.

I ask again why is the designer choosing for the gators to be albino and not a natural color? Still trying to understand the thought process and reasoning?

[Turbine]

Right. It is so rare to find they bring all they can find to zoos and other types of captivity when they are found. Outside of LA and maybe FLA no one knows that albino gators exist. I am sure we will be called the White Gators often. Well ASE does have a Blue Gator for a mascot.

I don't think anyone will ever refer to the mascot by its color unless the school promotes it as such.

Up till now they are almost always depicted as bright green and no one refers to them as "Green Gators."

[BrockMeaux]

Do you guys know the race of the guy who has this idea? This has nothing to do with race.

We here all know it doesn't, but fair or not, that will inevitably come up in the "real" world. It will be an issue at some point. A student/player, or group of players, will make an issue of being part of a school with a snow white alligator mascot. I completely understand the intent he has. I applaud his hard work and effort. But it's a PR issue waiting to happen that could easily be avoided.

[Cajun Monkee]

Do you guys know the race of the guy who has this idea? This has nothing to do with race.

It may have nothing to do with race.

It can be tone deaf.

Both things can be true at the same time.

Much like the Catahoula Leopard Dog idea. On the surface its cool, but do we want to confuse a potential mascot with the Lafayette Leopards?

[RedTails]

I never suggested green. You did. If in deed the mascot is a gator why not make the costume as close to realistic in color to the gators we see in the basin, lake martin, bayou teche.... and so on? No one has ever seen a gator with out pigmentation except for a rare occasion at the zoo.

I ask again why is the designer choosing for the gators to be albino and not a natural color? Still trying to understand the thought process and reasoning?

He had already explained a few times why he chose white. Our school colors are vermilion and white (blanc). He wants the body to be white and the eyes to be vermilion. School colors and uniqueness are the drivers of the decision.

[ManAboutTown]

For marketing: less explaining you have to do the better. I'm the result of a marriage between prairie cajuns and river parish cajuns and I didn't know what a catahoula was until I started posting here.

90% of the national audience that sees a dog on our sideline will be like "huh?"

Whereas you see a gator on the sideline of a Ragin Cajuns game and people would just think "oh, that makes sense."

Great point. Lot's of people fit this bill.

And you can't walk a dog around events, especially indoors, and just have the kids petting it. Think of the liability with this super duper squishy admin. I've never seen kids get anywhere near UGA or The Hound for the volunteers.

[Turbine]

The only only thing holding back an Alligator as a sideline cheerleader is the administration not wanting to have to increase tourist parking on campus to see the real Swamp Gators.

[Million$Mullet]

Great point. Lot's of people fit this bill.

And you can't walk a dog around events, especially indoors, and just have the kids petting it. Think of the liability with this super duper squishy admin. I've never seen kids get anywhere near UGA or The Hound for the volunteers.

Kids used to pet the bulldog at the USL basketball games back in the day. I had to clean up a doo doo pile once. Good times.

[ManAboutTown]

You know I really appreciate that. Yours too Turbine. After an entire day of seeing people say really bad things about my work, question my character, and then watch someone weaponize my light hearted joke at how divisive Al has become against me, I can definitely say it’s been a long day. It’s a day I ask myself, “Do I really love UL this much?” “Should anybody love UL this much if this is how fans treat passion for the university?” “Is it really worth taking the bullets that Dr. Maggard, Dr. Savoie, and the rest of the marketing department have been avoiding for years?” After this experience, I honestly don’t blame them.

There’s a lot of room for doubt, but seeing comments like yours is a jolt of joy in my pursuit to make the UL experience better.

I see the lack of engagement with the young people too. I saw the empty student sections before I left town. The fanbase is dwindling at roots, and I’m one of the few young alumni that’s actually trying to stop it. That’s why it’s encouraging to see how well like he is with people in my age group and below. Cajuns Barstool has fully embraced him. That’s great far as student engagement. Al even got a compliment from Pete’s. Al might not be able to win today because there’s too much of the past still around, but give him some time. I’m still confident after the things I’ve seen today.

Oh, and I still love UL too.

Around this place, the 'crab in a barrel' mentality destroys everything. It's why we never evolve, never lead and spend more time infighting than achieving. What we learned with RR is there will ALWAYS be big mouth lunatics willing to shout down any and everything. At the end of the day, if what you're doing is good, the right people will notice. Just keep showing up. The haters are the extreme minority. And as you pick up support, they mostly go away. Those people shouting you down would never take the time to do what you're doing. Those people don't have an ounce of the talent or passion that you have.

Take the arrows with a smile, my friend. It means you're close to something big.