Ottawa Senators Successfully Utilize Spartacat as Mascot
Like most other professional sports teams, the Ottawa Senators utilize a mascot to liven up their home games. I’ve had so many discussions with people over the years about the merits of mascots in professional sports.
Mascots are a very polarizing aspect of modern sports fandom. Supporters say that they’re a fun way to pump up a crowd and provide accessibility for kids to get into the sport, while critics chastise them for being a gimmicky tool and superfluous addition to an already exciting enough product.
I tend to fall in the former category. I think mascots are not only a great way to engage kids in the sport, but also a canvas to express the uniqueness of a franchise.
A lot of mascots in the NHL reflect the lore of the organization or city they represent. The Detroit Red Wings have Al the Octopus because of their tradition of throwing octopi out on the ice.
The Montreal Canadiens have Youppi! because he was left without a team following the relocation of the Montreal Expos. Considering that Youppi! was so engraved in the culture of Montreal, the Canadiens formally adopted him, and he’s the first mascot to work for two professional sports teams.
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The Senators have a lion named Spartacat, who is hilarious and helps out in the community. He serves as a nice ode to Roman history, and has been with the Senators from the very beginning of their current incarnation.
Spartacat adds a certain flavor to Senators’ games, like all mascots do. They definitely help grow the sport.
I remember being a little kid and seeing S.J. Sharkie at the games in San Jose and thinking he was so cool. Some things never change, and I can say with confidence that Sharkie is my favorite mascot in any sport to this day.
For lack of a better phrase, mascots can serve as a “gateway drug” to hockey. The mascot will be entertaining fans out in the crowd, but a kid’s attention will eventually shift onto what’s going on out on the ice, and get hooked. After all, hockey is a beautiful game.
Mascots help promote the sport, and I’m all for that. Chances are if you become a hockey fan at 5 years old, you’ll have a lifelong passion for the game.
My story as a fan really began with thinking Sharkie was the greatest thing ever. Of course there were other factors, but I don’t think mascots typically turn off kids towards the sport they represent.
The only exception is if they’re so creepy that they terrify kids, but it’s a trial and error thing. If a mascot is too horrifying to have the intended positive impact, they simply retire and the next mascot gets their shot.
Spartacat probably has the same allure for future Senators’ fans that Sharkie had with me, and mascots like him really add to the richness of the NHL.
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They serve as symbols of the uniqueness of the franchise and city they represent, while also entertaining kids and future fans of the sport. I see way more positives than negatives.