There are thirteen bulldogs, twelve tigers, ten eagles, and nine wildcats in NCAA Division 1 athletics. Some of these universities with common nicknames share the same state, while others the same conference affiliation. The new SEC will claim two different Bulldogs and two different Tigers, while a couple other conferences boast match-ups between teams with the same mascot.
When it comes to collegiate athletics, creativity is always a welcome sight. Seeing the same old teams with the same old colors can get bland and disinterest people. There are a few bright spots that make people smile when they get mentioned. Mascots like the Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz, Penguins of Youngstown State or Fighting Camels of former Atlantic Sun rival Campbell are a few that come to mind.
That being said, I’m tired of hearing people complain about being a KSU Owl. There are 344 schools that are currently in Division 1 of the NCAA, and out of them only four share the name the owls. This at least gives us a little individuality and should allow our students and alumni to take pride in our name. Still we hear more complaints than statements of pride.
Complaints like owls aren’t intimidating or owls are so boring get really old after awhile. In my years here, I have never heard a really good excuse to warrant a name change. It could be much worse. If you think having Scrappy the Owl is bad, try going to a sporting event at the Rhode Island School of Design, where their mascot is male genitalia. If you don’t believe that could possibly be true, Google it and have a laugh. Being represented by that has to be a little embarrassing to say the least.
Nonetheless, owls are one of the coolest, most unique creatures in the animal kingdom and we should take pride in having them as a mascot. They are far from boring and represent a lot of good qualities in this world. In cultures all over the world, the owl represents wisdom, power and protection and is known to rule the night. There is a lot more to owls than just being a boring old bird. Also, no one ever said a mascot had to be intimidating. There has never been a time when a team won a game on the grounds that they were scared of the opposing school’s nickname. I don’t really think a person dancing around while dressed in a tiger or wildcat costume is overly intimidating anyway. So please, stop with the complaints over being a KSU Owl, and start to take pride in it and say it with a sense of accomplishment. Be grateful when you see Scrappy flapping his wings at a basketball game, and be proud and bold wearing your black and gold.