Editing Mascot (section)

==Sports mascots==
{{category see also|Sports mascots}}
[[File:Boomer Beaver (cropped).jpg|thumb|Boomer Beaver (photographed in 2007) was the mascot for the [[Portland Beavers]], a now-defunct [[Minor League Baseball]] team.]]
Many sports teams in the United States have official mascots, sometimes enacted by costumed humans or even live animals.  One of the earliest was a [[taxidermy]] mount for the [[Chicago Cubs]], in 1908, and later a live animal used in 1916 by the same team. They abandoned the concept shortly thereafter and remained without an official "cub" until 2014, when they introduced [[Clark (mascot)|a version]] that was a person wearing a costume.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=David|title=Photo: 1908 Cubs protect their mascot's back|url=https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/photo-1908-cubs-protect-mascot-back-093654011.html|access-date=30 January 2012|newspaper=Yahoo! Sports|date=27 January 2012}}</ref>

In the [[United Kingdom]], some teams have young fans become "mascots". These representatives sometimes have medical issues, and the appearance is a wish grant,<ref>{{cite news|last=Halewood|first=Simon|title=Wimboldsley couple celebrate after grandson walks tall with England heroes|url=http://www.crewechronicle.co.uk/crewe-news/local-crewe-news/2011/07/06/wimboldsley-couple-celebrate-after-grandson-walks-tall-with-england-heroes-96135-29000095/|access-date=14 July 2011|newspaper=Crewe Chronicle|date=6 July 2011}}</ref> the winner of a contest,<ref>{{cite web|title=Brazil Mascot Competition |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/contact_scottish_fa.cfm?page=2282 |work=The Scottish Football Association |publisher=The Scottish Football Association Ltd |access-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711040530/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/contact_scottish_fa.cfm?page=2282 |location=Glasgow UK |archive-date=11 July 2012 |year=2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> or under other circumstances.  Mascots also include older people such as [[Peter Cross (rugby union)|Mr England]], who are invited by national sports associations to be mascots for the representative teams.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21569602 |title=Six Nations: Scrum V meets England's biggest fan – their mascot |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=1970-01-01 |access-date=2017-03-01}}</ref>  One of the earliest was [[Ken Baily]], whose [[John Bull]]-inspired appearance was a regular at England matches from 1963<ref>{{cite journal |title=Sheepskin poodle for French footballers |journal=Cheddar Valley Gazette |date=12 April 1963 |page=10}}</ref> to 1990.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Rag-waving Bull makes Irish see red |journal=Western Daily Press |date=17 November 1990 |page=7}}</ref>

===Controversies===
{{See also|Native American mascot controversy}}
On October 28, 1989, [[University of Miami]] mascot [[Sebastian the Ibis]] was tackled by a group of police officers for attempting to put out [[Osceola and Renegade|Chief Osceola's]] flaming spear prior to [[Miami Hurricanes football|Miami]]'s game against [[Florida State–Miami football rivalry|long-standing rival]] [[Florida State Seminoles football|Florida State]] at [[Doak Campbell Stadium]] in [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]]. Sebastian was wearing a fireman’s helmet and yellow raincoat and holding a fire extinguisher. When a police officer attempted to grab the fire extinguisher, the officer was sprayed in the chest. Sebastian was handcuffed by four officers but ultimately released. 

University of Miami quarterback [[Gino Torretta]] told [[ESPN]], "Even if we weren't bad boys, it added to the mystique that, 'Man, look, even their mascot's getting arrested.'"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/27949666/the-true-story-sebastian-ibis-fire-extinguisher-arrest|title = The true story of Sebastian the Ibis, a fire extinguisher and a near arrest|date = 30 October 2019}}</ref>

As of 2024, [[Midget#Mascots|five high schools]] in the United States use [[Midget|midgets]] for their mascots. Advocates working with Little People of America have been campaigning to change it because of its common usage as a [[Pejorative|pejorative slur]] against disabled people.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Samantha |title=Pride or prejudice? Iowa school district resists changing mascot, name considered a slur |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2024/11/19/estherville-lincoln-central-school-district-says-no-to-name-change/76333861007/ |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=The Des Moines Register |language=en-US}}</ref>