If I had to choose my college by their mascot, I would have chosen Louisiana State University since they are represented by a most vicious animal. Their mascot is Mike the Tiger; and while the mascot outfit is quite cute, what the Tiger represents is what draws my attention. When people think of tigers, they see the striped animal running through the jungle, hunting a prey, or defending their territory against other predators. The tiger represents power, strength, and above all, dominance. The tiger’s intense stare can strike fear into any being that dares to look the beast in the eyes. The tiger holds no fear and is willing to attack any threat with no hesitation. These qualities are what make the tiger such a fierce opponent in the jungle and why I truly believe LSU picked this animal to represent their school. I think that whatever a school chooses as their mascot represents how the school portrays itself, especially in sports; and while not everyone is a football fan, everyone has heard of the LSU Tigers at least once in their life. Like how the tiger makes itself visible and known to its enemies, the LSU Tigers step on to the field with the confidence that runs through a tiger’s blood, sending their opponents back home with their heads down and fear trickling down their legs. Academically, the tiger represents how LSU students always attack a challenge without any fear of failure, and how the student body protect each other during tough times. Other schools pick such delicate animals like birds to attract the more fragile students, but I believe that everyone has a little bit of a Tiger within themselves. While some people identify with the more vicious side of the animal, there is an unseen side of the striped beast, a gentle side that is rarely seen. The side that comes out when the mother tiger must attend to her cubs or when the streak of tigers are settling down after a hunt with their prize. The tiger can be both vicious and gentle, hard and soft, strong and fragile.
