Other Definitions
mascot (dict)
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Mascot - For the suburb of Sydney, Australia, see 'Mascot, New South Wales. For the American city, see Mascot, Tennessee'.
A mascot is something, typically an animal or human character used to represent a group with a common identity, such as a school, professional sports team, or corporation. American university sports teams are often identified primarily by their mascot. Sports team merchandise often bears the team logo as well as mascot. The team will employ an individual to accompany them to home and away games who dresses up as the creature. A mascot is not always an animal or person; for example, Stanford University's mascot is a color (cardinal), and its band's mascot is a tree. In the United States, there has been controversy surrounding some mascot choices, especially those of human characters. Mascots based on Native American tribes have proven particularly contentious, as many argue that they constitute offensive exploitations of an oppressed race. However, such debates are not unique to Native American mascots: Alfred University, a school of about 2,000 students in Western New York State has the "Saxon" as its mascot. Its representation is a charging knight in armor. Meant to symbolize strength and courage, others protest that the Saxon represents chauvinism and rape. See also
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