Choosing a school because of its mascot, for many, would be a dream come true. For the longest time, I was a huge fan of Mississippi State University because their mascot was a super cute dog named Bully. His sons kept the name and continue the tradition to this day. Bully is at every game available to him. However, if I had to choose a university based on their mascot, I would be going to the University of California Santa Cruz. Their mascot is a banana slug named Sammy. The students chose the mascot in the 80’s to represent them in intramural sports because banana slugs have no predators. This idea can be seen in pictures of the men’s tennis tournament where the shirts worn by the team read “Banana Slugs—No Known Predators.”
I like the student body’s idea of including all students in sports rather than having strict teams for only a few sports. Intramural sports are a wonderful way to involve more of the student body in physical activity and reducing the percent of obese and unhealthy individuals on campus. I think the banana slug represents this idea because slugs are very down-to-earth creatures that do not care so much about winning or losing; they just want to have a good time.
It would also be fun explaining your mascot to family, friends, and peers. Instead of the usual bear, Spartan, or tiger on your shirt, you would have a slug. It is definitely unique to the playing field. I know that personally all of my friends would be incredibly jealous of my mascot. I would love to graduate as a Slug Alumni if I was given the chance.
“You went to a school with an owl mascot? Cool, but my mascot was a giant yellow slug named Sammy.”
