Following up a series of high-profile sports headlines from Cleveland, the Browns rolled out a pretty strange announcement yesterday: The team will feature an actual dog named “Swagger” as its mascot. Swagger will be a bull mastiff, playing heavily off the Browns’ canine canon, though it’s difficult to imagine him sharing the enthusiasm that the Dawg Pound’s masked marauders display on Sundays.
PETA has been fairly vocal over the years when it comes to live sports mascots (the Seahawks, Broncos and Ravens each employ live animals as hype machines as well). “Nothing says “Go, team!” less than an unhappy animal,” the organization writes. “[T]here’s no reason to subject a real animal to the stress of being a mascot. Costumed human mascots can lead cheers, react to the crowd, and pump up the team—all things that a frightened animal cannot do.”
A fruitful point to ponder, no doubt.
Here’s Kevin Griffin, vice president of fan experience and marketing for the Browns, talking with 92.3 The Fan: “We’re gonna have a new dog, a live dog lead the team out. We’re going all in with this Dawg Pound thing.”
And, in truth, this is the same office that rolled out WEINER DOG RACES last year.
This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2014.
Ten dollars says he drops a nasty dump in the middle of the field the first time he runs out there… but at least Brandon Wheedon won’t get trapped under the flag and fall into it.
It all started with Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnefield, the most awesome pair of cornerbacks: Barking after they shut down the opponent’s secondary.
But why does it have to be named Swagger?
Tremendous missed public relations opportunity… How great would it have been if the Browns organization had decided to showcase dogs from the real Cleveland Dawg Pound and/or different dogs from rescues every week? Instead, they’ve gotten a dog they think looks big and tough and that probably will be a nightmare for his handler. Not only that, a year from now, there will be an influx of young bullmastiffs into local shelters because people will get them and then realize they’re HUGE and difficult to train and they can’t be bothered with the dogs anymore. He’d better not have swinging balls. If he does, every rescue organization across this country – where millions of adoptable animals die in shelters every year because people don’t spay/neuter their pets – will have something to say about it.
1. This is stupid.
2. The dog’s name is stupid.
3. Having a live version of your mascot is stupid as well.
I really see no concrete benefits to this move at all. Maybe this is just so the news of the Flying J settlement isn’t the only thing we’re reading about?
Stupid name, stupid idea, cruel to that poor sad-looking dog. The whole Dawg Pound thing has outlived any usefulness it ever had…so Eighties. Why is the concept still deemed necessary? Other cities laugh at the denizens of the Dawg Pound and their outdated shenanigans. It’s one of the reasons other teams’ fans laugh at Cleveland. So big-hair and mullet. Will it ever finally end?
I’d have gladly offered the Browns the kitty in my avatar…he’d have peed orange and pooped brown all over the opposition if you merely pointed him in their direction…but unfortunately, he died (at age 18…that’s about 92 in kitty years) a couple of months ago…
Chuckles the Clown
My bullmastiff is 140 lbs of fun, love and protection from strangers and calms when told to. I cannot think of a better mascot. Consider earplugs for the new mascot as they don’t like loud noise.