# Battling football mascots...WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174 "2007-09-14T14:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/1 "2007-09-14T14:46:08Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/wcvb/20070913/lo\_wcvb/14104040](http://news.yahoo.com/s/wcvb/20070913/lo_wcvb/14104040) > [@](#): > > The University of Oregon’s duck mascot has been suspended for a game, after getting into a fight with the Houston Cougar. OK, not the first time two mascots have gotten into a fight. But the reason given for the fight seems a little odd to me. > [@](#): > > The Duck’s feathers were ruffled when the Cougar apparently mimicked his trademark move by doing push-ups after a touchdown. Is he serious? At any of the armed forces academies, the entire freshman class will do push-ups to match the score. At many regular colleges, the ROTC corps will do likewise. What on earth made him think he had a monopoly on the practice? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/2 "2007-09-14T15:12:28Z")
He has a bird brain? ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/3 "2007-09-14T15:17:54Z")
OK this is a weird story. This link alleges it may have been staged: [http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content\_id=148FF95B-94C5-4B2C-B26B-E06349A49741&gsa=true](http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=148FF95B-94C5-4B2C-B26B-E06349A49741&gsa=true) While this story has an actual interview with the Cougar: [http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Sports/Detail?contentId=4353314&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=6.1.1](http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Sports/Detail?contentId=4353314&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=6.1.1) (Both are news articles with links to videos.) I don’t think it was staged. And I agree with **mbh** that many schools have this tradition. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/4 "2007-09-14T16:46:42Z")
Didn’t the Oregon Duck kick the Oregon State Beaver’s ass a few years ago? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/5 "2007-09-14T17:00:38Z")
[QUOTE=FlightlessBird] OK this is a weird story. This link alleges it may have been staged: [/QUOTE] Um, the video did a pretty good job of alleging that IMHO. I mean one of those dorks did a pro-wrestling move for crying out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/6 "2007-09-14T17:38:36Z")
At a game between Bristol City and Wolverhampton Wanderers in November 1998, the Wolves mascot (Wolfie) launched an unprovoked verbal attack on the Three Little Pigs. The porcine trio were representing a local sponsor and responded to the abuse by assaulting Wolfie with all available trotters. The Bristol City mascot (City Cat) was also dragged into the proceedings and a general _fracas_ ensued. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/7 "2007-09-14T18:01:36Z")
[QUOTE=Chez Guevara] …the Wolves mascot (Wolfie) launched an unprovoked verbal attack on the Three Little Pigs… [/QUOTE] “I’ll huff, and I’ll puff…” ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/8 "2007-09-14T18:13:25Z")
Yanno **Chez** you are a veritable mine of information 😃 Some of it quite useless some of it very useful. I’d go so far as to say that you are possibly my fave poster. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/9 "2007-09-14T18:30:27Z")
It probably was staged, or at least done just for amusement’s sake. I remember at an Illini game once, the guy cheerleaders “kidnapped” the Iowa Hawk, spread his legs apart and pretended to bash his balls against the goal post. I assumed that it was in jest, and that the Hawk is still able to procreate. And my sister went to the University of Richmond, whose mascot is a spider. She said one time the cadets from a nearby military school jumped him and pummelled him pretty good. Everyone took it as a joke, though…I don’t think they were actually trying to hurt them, it’s just that you’re kind of at their mercy in a big foam 8-legged costume! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/10 "2007-09-14T20:13:42Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] Um, the video did a pretty good job of alleging that IMHO. I mean one of those dorks did a pro-wrestling move for crying out loud. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I’ve been really confused by the suspension story. The video looked obviously like a bit of good fun between mascots, not some sort of all-out brawl. It certainly didn’t look like there were any real punches or kicks. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/11 "2007-09-14T20:27:34Z")
I’m not surprised. The Oregon Duck is Donald Duck, who was made the University of Oregon’s mascot by agreement with [Walt Disney himself](http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper859/stills/3dd5278b6c5fc-54-3.jpg) in 1947. And as we all know, Donald has a _very_ short temper. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/12 "2007-09-14T20:37:43Z")
And I think [Pluto’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvlzkdxad-A&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecartoonbrew%2Ecom%2F) gone crazy, too. Must have been hanging around Donald too much. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/13 "2007-09-14T20:45:47Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Some of it quite useless some of it very useful. [/QUOTE] Thank you, either way. I wasn’t going to mention this because I abhor football violence. However the world needs to know whenever and wherever such violence occurs. I give you the video of [Chaddy the Owl Beating The Shit Out Of Bloomfield Bear](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz2z8is3hks) (34 secs), perhaps the most infamous battle in the entire history of mascot conflict. The final scenes are so gruesome I must declare it Not Safe For Bears. Bloomfield is minding his own business when Chaddy grabs him in a headlock and rips his head off. That owl really is an arsehole. ---
**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battling-football-mascots-wtf/419174/14 "2007-09-14T20:52:47Z")
For true mascot abuse, nothing quite satifies like the Giant’s 1984 multi-legged favorite, Crazy Crab.