Apparently, T-Rac has a “variety of motor vehicles” that he uses during celebrations. All I hope for, is that mascots no longer drive there own golf carts!
I decided to do some research on what the hell T-Rac is. I found the Titans website, and I found out the important things about T-Rac:
1) favorite saying is "I didn't do it!"
2) Tennessee's state animal is the raccoon. [insert joke about south here]
3) T-Rac’s Platform: “To stop hit and runs on all Raccoons and get Raccoon crossings at all major highways and Interstates (especially near the Coliseum) "
4) You can order T-Rac for an appearance at (615) 565-TRAC (8722) [this is a real phone number].
More importantly, the T-Rac debacle reminds me of some other fun mascot events. I did some research online, mostly off of http://espn.go.com/page2/s/hruby/030212.html, and found the following fun facts, reminding me how difficult it is to be a mascot:
1) Forty-four percent of mascots suffer from chronic lower back pain.
2) "A lot of mascots have stories about getting hit in the 'nads," said Dr. Edward McFarland, director of sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Johns Hopkins and the author of a study on mascot injuries. "That's just about the right height for kids to punch. They think they're aiming for the stomach. But they're not."
3) According to an article in the Cardozo Law Review, the Phillie Phanatic "holds the dubious record as the most-sued mascot in the majors." Among the judgments levied against him: $2.5 million to a man who suffered back injuries from being hugged too hard; $128,000 to a man who was knocked over at a church carnival; and $25,000 to a pregnant woman who was accidentally kicked in the stomach.
4) 1995 – Cleveland Indian's Slider (a big purple mess) fell off the wall during the playoffs, tearing his ACL. The Slider replacement had a foam crutch, to pay tribute to the real Slider who was unable to perform.
5) In 1999, a Philadelphia electrician shoved Krownapple off the right field wall at Camden Yards. The Orioles mascot fell 15 feet, broke his left ankle and spent a month in a wheelchair. He later won a $59,000 judgment against his assailant.
6) In the late 1990s, the Miami Heat mascot got sued for sexual harassment. He dragged a woman out of her seat to participate in some halftime game. The mascot didn't realize that "No means No", even when you wear a big funny suit.
7) During a game in 2000, Florida's Billy the Marlin accidentally hit a fan in the eye with a wadded-up T-shirt shot out of a CO2 launcher. The fan was knocked unconscious and later filed suit.
8) 2003 - Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish tore out the tongue of Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound.I hope everyone else has some fun mascot stories to share. One of my favorite mascot moments was going to a minor league hockey game in Cleveland, involving the now defunct Cleveland Lumberjacks. They had this awesome mascot, named Buzz I believe, that was a beaver that carried an over-sized hockey stick. This one game, he jumped down from the rafters, while guiding himself off of a rip-cord. The only problem was, the cord wasn’t long enough! All the players were already on the ice to the tune of the AC-DC music, and there Buzz was, dangling about 10 feet above the ice. Of course there was nothing left to do, but detach the cord from the rafters, and watch Buzz crash down onto the ice on his buttocks!
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