Mascot races are a popular form of entertainment at sporting events and other public gatherings. These races feature the mascots of various sports teams or organizations competing against each other in a race or a series of events. The races are often held during halftime or breaks in the sporting event, providing entertainment and a chance for fans to interact with the mascots in a fun and lighthearted way. The mascots, which are usually costumed characters representing the team or organization they represent, compete in a friendly manner, often engaging in humorous antics or playful interactions during the race. Mascot races can take a variety of forms. They may be simple foot races, where the mascots sprint to a finish line, or they may involve more complex challenges or obstacle courses.

Eyeballs, Bagels, and a Gigantic Hunk of Wasabi

They may be simple foot races, where the mascots sprint to a finish line, or they may involve more complex challenges or obstacle courses. Some races even incorporate elements of the sport itself, such as mascots dribbling a basketball or attempting to score a goal. The races are usually accompanied by music, commentary, and energetic crowd participation, adding to the excitement and atmosphere of the event.

Inside the hilarious, treacherous, smelly world of minor league mascot races.

Photo courtesy Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

On a typical summer evening in Altoona, Pa., three giant bagels sprint along freshly cut grass in a test of speed and endurance. Meanwhile, 2,237 miles away, in Vancouver, B.C., a grown man zips himself into a plush, neon-green costume and hikes up a pair of shiny plastic trousers to portray a hunk of wasabi. And on the plains of Iowa, an oversized beverage cup with arms, feet, and a bent white straw at the top just took out the legs of some poor girl in a 7-foot-tall hot dog outfit. Welcome to the wonderful world of minor league baseball mascot races.

Even more than their better-recognized major-league brethren—the racing pierogi of Pittsburgh, the sausages in Milwaukee, the galloping presidents of D.C.’s Nationals Park—minor league races are designed to push the boundaries of logic and reason. This is a world in which eyeballs can run, fish wear lipstick, and giant asparagus stalks sport cool headbands.

Who do we have to thank for this kooky entertainment windfall? An array of bored minor league baseball marketing directors and an intern culture that provides a near-endless supply of youngsters willing to risk life and limb pretending to be fish with legs. It’s also important to recognize the impact of Randall Carlito Simon. While it’s true that ridiculous mascot races existed before the fateful evening in 2003 when the Pirates’ first baseman clobbered that racing Italian sausage in Milwaukee, let’s be honest: Mascot races never made SportsCenter before Sausagegate. If not for the attention derived from that ugly, bizarre incident, there would be no racing bagels.

But since there are racing bagels—and racing sushi rolls, and racing potato-chip bags—it seems worthwhile to speak to the men and women inside those costumes. Here’s a rundown of the nine goofiest, most creative minor league mascot races, along with some pointers and gripes from those brave souls who suit up and run like hell.

A hot dog, chips, and an extra large soda: The Triple-A Iowa Cubs’ Kum & Go “Go, Go, Go Race” features a giant hot dog, a 6-foot-tall bag of jalapeno chips, and an extra large drink cup. Stadium operations employee Sara Ingram is too short to race as the chip bag or the cup—the suits don’t fit right—so she always runs as the hot dog. Thus far, she’s 0-for-22. (Her big-league counterpart: the Washington Nationals’ Teddy, who has never won the team’s Presidents Race.) “After the race, fans usually heckle the loser,” Ingram says. “I have had some miserable losses. Right around Easter, I gave up running when I got to second base and walked the rest of the way. Some fans really laid into me for that.”

Photo by Ryan Riley/Courtesy Iowa Cubs.

Fish with legs: The life of a running fish is no day at the beach, according to Lake County Captains promotions assistant Hannah Wolfe. “As soon as you get the fish suit on, you start to sweat, no matter what the weather is like,” says Wolfe, a frequent fish racer for the Eastlake, Ohio-based Single-A club. Another hazard: “After the race, there are always lots of little kids who start hitting you.” The nightly races aren’t fixed by the team, Wolfe says, “but sometimes me and another girl will get together and plot to take down the one other girl, so one of us can win.” She adds, “Let’s just say … every time I’ve raced, I’ve won.”

Photo by John Murphy/Courtesy Lake County Captains.

A taco, salsa, and a really big pepper: For those participating in the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes’ chile pepper race, the costumes tend to be a problem. “They’re not the easiest things to see out of,” explains Eric Papp, who usually runs as the salsa jar in the Dodgers affiliate’s sixth-inning race. “There are spots to look out of at the mouth and the eyes of the costume, so if you’re the perfect height, great. Most people aren’t though, and then their head doesn’t line up with the openings. If you’re not lined up perfect, you’re kind of stuck.”

Photo by Javier Zamora/Courtesy Albuquerque Isotopes.

Sushi: Veteran sushi race participant Kraig Krause says he enjoys running as Chef Wasabi.* But racing as a giant green glob in the Single-A Vancouver Canadians’ sushi race can be treacherous. “On a very wet weekend, I was racing as Chef Wasabi and was actually winning,” he says. “Then I hit a puddle and completely lost my feet from out under me. The kids got a good laugh out of it and thought it was all part of the race—but truth be told, I totally bailed, and it took me a minute to get up.”

Photo courtesy Vancouver Canadians.

Mayors with giant heads: The Single-A Tri-City ValleyCats’ home stadium is located near the upstate New York cities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. In the middle of the sixth inning, dudes in khakis and oxford shirts put on giant heads resembling each city’s mayor and race down the right-field line. Sometimes one of the real mayors dons a big head. Most often, though, it’s a guy like ValleyCats account executive Michael Johnson, who passed on some insider knowledge. “A little trick I learned last year was to look down out of the bottom of the head to make sure I am still on the warning track,” he says, adding that the mayors fall quite a bit. “We are often running at near top speed, and leaning forward with the oversized heads messes with the racer’s center of gravity.”

Photo courtesy Tri-City ValleyCats.

Bagels: Cody Clifton, who competes against Cinnamon Crunch Cindy and Asiago Allie at each Altoona Curve home game, believes he gets a raw deal. “As Blueberry Bob, I never get to win,” he laments. Clifton wishes the Double-A Pirates affiliate’s bagel race would take advantage of his natural athleticism—he notes that he is the “only one of the three [racers] who was actually on a track team at some point.” Clifton says the bagel costumes are composed mostly of lightweight foam, so they aren’t heavy, and they don’t get all that hot. But he does use the word “stenchy” to describe them: “You tend to get used to your own scent, but then if someone else happens to be in your suit, it takes a while to get your own scent back.”

Photo courtesy Altoona Curve.

Eyeballs: Lakewood BlueClaws director of promotions Hal Hansen often participates in the eyeball race that takes place during the sixth inning of every home game at FirstEnergy Park. The good news: The Single-A Phillies affiliate based out of Lakewood, N.J., recently acquired new costumes that feature a small battery-powered blower that keeps the eyes inflated. “It is incredibly better technology than the eyeballs we originally purchased in 2001,” says Hansen. The bad news: The new costume set includes a brown eye. “Occasionally we’ll hear [vulgar heckling] from an older fan,” he says. “Usually those comments are on Thursdays when we have our $1 beers at our outfield tiki bar.”

Photo courtesy Lakewood BlueClaws.

Asparaguses: Yes, those are asparaguses racing around the field at Stockton Ports games. And yes, the racing veggies do have names: Blanche, Burney, and Lil’ Hank. This six-year-old race actually makes more sense than you’d think. Each spring, Stockton, Calif.,is home to the Asparagus Festival, so the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics came up with the race as a tribute to the community. And here’s the kicker: Fans run this race. “[It’s] just whoever walks in the front gate and is willing to participate,” says media relations employee Nicole Loscavio. “They do sign a waiver once they volunteer,” she explains.

Photo courtesy Stockton Ports.

Pork products: These are the facts: 1) The Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ Pork Racers are Chris P. Bacon, Diggity, Barbie Q., and Hambone. 2) Hambone is the most sinister, evil-looking hunk of ham you will ever see. He is scary. 3) Nothing is known about Hambone, or, for that matter, Mr. Bacon, or that sandwich-looking thing with blonde hair. Do not attempt to learn anything about these racers—all interview requests will be denied. “The Pork Racers, like most mascots, do not talk,” I was informed by the Allentown Triple-A club’s media relations staff. “[The team does not] want the identities of those who [are] in the costumes revealed. Our Pork Racers have their own identities, and we do not want fans to associate a Pork Racer with a specific person.”

Photograph courtesy Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Correction, Nov. 29, 2017: This story originally misidentified the Vancouver Canadians employee who participated in the team's sushi race. The sushi racer was Kraig Krause. (Return.)

Thanks for the Memories

Writing a pre-Thanksgiving post on “what I am thankful for” has the whiff of an obligatory elementary school essay assignment, but I want to get something up on this slice of the internet before it all goes (mercifully) dark for the holidays.

And you know what I’m thankful for? That I have a job that puts me in absurd situations on a regular basis. Some highlights from the 2011 season.

If you can't take the heat.

The point of this unbridled exercise in Holiday week narcissism is…well…I guess there is no point. But I do want to issue a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who has supported these absurd endeavors of mine. And it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2012 season — please, get in touch if you have any suggestions regarding Minor League places to go and things to do. I really do try to say “yes” as much as possible.

Finally, two stories are up today that I’d really appreciate if you checked out. First up is my story on Greg Halman, who was stabbed to death earlier this week. I talked to people who knew him at all stops on his Minor League journey, and did the best I could to write something that went beyond “I’m shocked that his happened” quotes.

Elsewhere, I have a guest column up on Baseball Propectus. It’s a pretty through overview of the Minor League mindset, and I sincerely hope it brings a few new converts into the fold.

[email protected]

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Lowell Leading the League in Flosses

One of 2011’s most intriguing promotions is planned for TONIGHT — the so-called “Human Home Run” in Lowell, MA. Between games of the doubleheader, human cannonball David Smith, Sr. will be shot out of a cannon behind second base and land over the wall in right field.

This stunt is taking place just one week after a similarly unique (yet completely different) initiative. On June 29, 3014 fans engaged in simultaneous dental flossing, a quixotic endeavor on par with last year’s “Salute to Bubble Wrap.”

While using one long piece of floss would have been hilarious, the Spinners went a far more hygienic route by distributing Glide floss picks. In the middle of the fourth inning, it was synchronized flossin’ time.

The players, upstanding role models that they are, got in the act as well.

Minors Moniker Madness legend Seth Schwindenhammer

Flossing would be an especially apropos activity after witnessing the Memphis Redbirds’ new between-inning competition: The Rendezvous Rib Race.

Participants include BBQ Sauce, Rib, Pulled Pork Sandwich, and Rendezvous Dry Rub Seasoning.

On a more personal level, may I suggest that you Rendezvous with MiLB.com? In addition to a jam-packed new “Promo Preview” column, today marked the appearance of the latest “Crooked Numbers.”

This column is a labor of love (my attempt to be the Jayson Stark of Minor League Baseball, basically), and I’d greatly appreciate if those who enjoy it pass it along to like-minded friends. I’ll close with my favorite nugget of info from this month’s column, an item brought to my attention by uber-alert Lancaster JetHawks broadcaster Jeff Lasky:

The more things change…: The Lancaster JetHawks suffered through their worst inning in franchise history June 29, allowing visiting High Desert to plate 13 runs in the second. This nightmarish frame broke the old franchise record of 12 runs allowed in an inning, which had been achieved by Lake Elsinore on May 20, 2007. Lake Elsinore’s Yordany Ramirez hit for the cycle in that ballgame, completing the feat with a triple in the record-setting 12-run eighth inning. Amazingly, Ramirez also appeared in the June 29 ballgame — as a member of the JetHawks’ pitching staff! Ramirez, in his first full season as a pitcher after nine as an outfielder, tossed two scoreless innings long after the damage had been done.

This kind of stuff is catnip for baseball nerds, right? I sure hope so.

[email protected]

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Taco Trauma Turns Triumphant in San Antonio

It took 18 years, but Randy Neuenfeldt has finally defeated the Puffy Taco.

In 1992, 11-year-old Neuenfeldt was selected as the contestant in the San Antonio Missions’ “Puffy Taco Race.” His task was a simple one — to beat this guacamole-soaked anthropomorphic food dish in a race around the bases. This seemed like an eminently attainable task, considering that the Puffy Taco had never, ever won. Not once. Ever.

(Shawn E. Davis/MiLB.com)

But this particular night in 1992 was different from all other nights, before or since. The Puffy Taco somehow managed to win.

“As I went around third, the taco was ahead of me,” explained Neuenfeldt, who is now married with two children. “He was goofing around, doing a dance, and he ended up going a little too far and touched home plate ahead of me. The PA guy saw that and ran with it: ‘Ladies and gentleman, you’ve just witnessed history! For the first time ever, the Puffy Taco has won a race!’ Everybody was booing, and I thought they were booing me for losing the race. I was crying as they brought me off of the field.”

But time heals all wounds, and as the years passed Neuenfeldt came to accept and even embrace his status as the only person to ever lose to the Puffy Taco. But he never forgot.

Rick Hill never forgot either. Hill was the frazzled Missions intern who selected Neuenfeldt to participate in the race, and therefore largely responsible for the humiliation that ensued. Last February, Hill wrote a blog post for mysanantonio.com in which he recounted the incident.

“I half-carried, half-dragged [Neuenfeldt] off the field,” wrote Hill. “I offered him another
chance but both he and his parents were too dumbfounded to respond so I
sulked back to my desk.”

The post ended with these fateful words:

“I hope a certain boy who turns 28 this June will drop me a line. I
owe him…another shot at beating the Puffy Taco.”

As luck would have it, Neuenfeldt saw the post and sent Hill an email (subject line: “the boy that lost”). Hill then contacted the Missions, who were more than happy to help right this 18-year-old wrong. They even arranged for Jimmy Gonzalez, the 1992-era Puffy Taco who defeated Neuenfeldt, to reprise his role for the re-match.

Puffy Taco vs Neuenfeldt Part II occurred on Thursday, in front of a robust crowd of some 7200 fans. Over 100 friends and family members came out to support Neuenfeldt, who was wearing a t-shirt that read “I Eat Tacos Like You For Breakfast” on the front and “Run Randy Run” on the back.

Neuenfeldt and his Puffy Taco nemesis competed in several between-inning contests before the main event, building anticipation to a fever pitch. Would things turn out differently in 2010?

Here’s Neuenfeldt, ready for action:

In the homestretch:

The Man of the Hour:

“Good lord, I was out of breath,” said Neuenfeldt when asked about the race. “Why are the bases so far apart? But it was great to have my shot at redemption, and now there’s a sense of closure.”

The San Antonio media did a commendable job in covering this epochal event, as any cursory Google search will make clear. But it was the aforementioned mysanantonio.com that truly stood out. For far more Puffy Taco coverage, including photo galleries, related links, and an excellently-produced and highly dramatic video, click HERE.

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Cream Stick Gets Creamed, Video Gets Posted

Friday’s post ended on a note of uncertainty, as I lamented my inability to track down video footage of Vanilla getting knocked out during one of the Akron Aeros’ nightly Cream Stick Races.

Fortunately, I have readers who are more technologically adept than I am. Thanks largely to them, the mystery has been solved. Let me provide you with a brief timeline of what has occurred thus far:

— Friday, September 18: I write an end-of-season update on the Akron Aeros’ Cream Stick Race. The post contains a lengthy email excerpt from Aeros director of corporate and suite sales Calvin Funkhouser, who mentions that Cuyahoga Community College student Danny James possesses video footage of Vanilla getting knocked out. Funkhouser recommends that I and my readers “Facebook bomb” James in order to get him to release the video.

My attempts to find James on Facebook are fruitless, however, a fact I mention within the post.

— I recieve an email early Saturday evening from “Becca in Boston”, a self-proclaimed “loyal fan” of this blog. Becca explains that I all have to do to locate James is search for his name on Facebook, and then filter the results by school. Who knew? Becca stops short of contacting James herself, however, explaining that “I feel a little sketchy saying ‘Hey, this blogger said this other guy said to contact you about a cream stick video.'”

That’s totally understood, Becca. Totally understood.

— On Sunday evening, commenter “Possum187” takes things a step further by posting a direct link to James’ Facebook page. “I believe this is the video-hoarding Ohioan you speak of” he writes.

— Using the link provided by Possum187, I contact James directly through Facebook. He responds that the video I seek is “on YouTube under Creamstick Gets Creamed.” This represents a major development in The Case of the Missing Cream Stick Video, and I beat a quick path over to YouTube in order to see if James was indeed telling me the truth.

He was! Observe, the long-awaited video of Vanilla getting knocked out:

Perhaps the video was a bit anticlimactic, considering the build-up, but I found it quite enjoyable nonetheless. It took a lot of work for me to bring it to you, the reader, and I couldn’t have done it alone. My sincere thanks to Calvin Funkhouser, Danny James, Becca from Boston, and Possum187. This may have been the first time you four have been mentioned within the span of a single sentence, but I sincerely hope it is not the last.

Update! — On September 23, Funkhouser wrote in with the following bit of pertinient info:

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“For the record, that
was not staged. [Vanilla] was literally out on his feet and they HAD to help him
off the field. Him trying to get up then face-planting on the infield
dirt is my favorite part. “

[email protected]

Cream Stick Conclusions

Back in May, I did a post on the Akron Aeros’ rough-and-tumble Cream Stick Mascot Race. In short, this nightly competition featured three costumed characters — Vanilla, Chocolate, and Maple — racing from left field to the first base dugout.

Hilarity, as well as physical injury, often ensued.

Ever since this post ran, I have been deluged by reader emails and phone calls regarding the Cream Stick Race. This email, from “Jason R.” of Palo Alto, CA is representative of what the public has been demanding to know:

Mr. Hill —

I visited your blog after a co-worker of mine sent me a link to your post about that giant hamburger. I loved the photo of the hamburger, and set about scouring your blog for more photos of giant hamburgers. I didn’t find any, and was ready to banish you to the internet netherworld from whence you came when I stumbled upon your post on the Cream Stick Race.

While not nearly as entertaining as a photo of a giant hamburger, the Cream Stick Race piqued my interest to the point where I, a totally not made-up person, am now sending you an email seeking more information. Which Cream Stick won the most races in 2009? And do any impossible-to-access videos exist of Vanilla getting knocked out?

At any rate, here’s hoping that you are one day able to transcend your cultish industry following and become a writer of at least moderate renown.

Jason R, from whatever town it was that you said I was from

Well, Jason R., you are in luck. For I recently received an email from the best-named front-office employee in all of Minor League Baseball – Akron Aeros director of corporate and suite sales Calvin Funkhouser.

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I
know that it’s been a while since my last email, but I wanted to update you on
what was a tumultuous season of Acme Cream Stick races. This season not
only saw its share of grass stains, bruises, and blood, but also ripped pants,
bruised ribs, a nearly broken ankle that required a trip to the ER, and a cream
stick almost getting knocked out on field.

At
the end of the season the three cream sticks were all tied at 22 wins
each. Fortunately the Aeros are in the playoffs which meant a Cream Stick
Championship Race. The course was extended to run around the outfield
portion of the warning track and in the end Chocolate pushed, shoved, and
sprinted his way to the championship. As you can see in the attached
pictures Chocolate unified the regular season and playoff championships (yes,
those are old school WWF belts).

And now, the aforementioned attached photos (“attached” presumably meaning that they are in monogamous relationships with other photos):

The above photos are great, but what I, and Jason R., and many others want to see is this: Vanilla getting knocked out.

Funkhouser provides us only with this tantalizing clue:

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If
you want to see the video of Vanilla getting knocked out you’ll need to friend
Danny James from Cuyahoga Community College on Facebook. He didn’t put
the video on Youtube. (feel free to print this last line, Dan getting
Facebook bombed would be hilarious).

The plot thickens! Who is this “Danny James” character, and why is he so stingy with his

exclusive Cream Stick Race footage? And, incidentally, is the Cuyahoga River still on fire? (despite the fact that I was born in Cleveland, my knowledge of the Cuyahoga begins and ends with Randy Newman).

I, for one, cannot even locate this “Danny James” on Facebook. Is there anyone out there who possesses people-finding skills that are greater than mine? Because I, and my legions of giant hamburger-obsessed readers, will not rest until we live in a world in which Vanilla Cream Stick knock-out videos are readily accessible on YouTube.

[email protected]

Competition Culminates in Chaos

Welcome to this, the first Ben’s Biz Blog post since the conclusion of the regular season. Sooner or later, there will be a day of reckoning when I am forced to come to terms with the fact that I have very little to write about.

But since days of reckoning are painful, I will delay such an occurrence for as long as possible by blogging as if games were still going on. And here’s where YOU come in: send me photos/stories/recaps/anecdotes/animated re-enactments/interpretative dance/hieroglyphics/etc etc etc etc from the 2009 season. When it comes to the postponement of the inevitable my desire is steadfast, but I can’t go it alone.

Yesterday I received an email related to the Binghamton Mets nightly Spiedie Race, which I covered in great detail last season (culminating in a post featuring heartbroken children, inexplicable rooftop cameos, and relievers moonlighting as pink gorillas).

(A Spiedie, for those who don’t know, is an upstate Binghamton delicacy. Essentially, it is marinated cubes of chicken or pork served on a roll).

Well, I am pleased to report that the Spiedie insanity continued unabated into 2009. Heading into the final day of the season, Chef, Marinade, and Spiedie were tied at 21 wins apiece. This set up an epic winner-take-all match, which quickly degenerated into a monstrous theater of the absurd. Observe:

So, to recap: Chef is knocked out by Space Ghost, while Marinade is felled by the tag team tandem of Bingo the Bee and “Clubhouse Manager” (a promising new addition to the B-Mets’ mascot universe). This makes Spiedie Sandwich the 2009 champion, prompting the on-field MC to mumble “My glasses are broken” before his mic cuts out.

A few miscellaneous photos of additional 2009 Spiedie Race action. Here’s a close-up of Chef and Spiedie:

Chef tries to cook up a little something, while in the foreground one can detect the presence of a presumably jealous bumblebee:

Heads Together (which was, incidentally, the name of a video store I used to work at in Pittsburgh):

The post is already quite long, so I should draw it to a close in the interest of parceling out my material more effectively. But, like the Spiedie Sandwich, I am on a roll. Therefore, let’s take a look at another recent Binghamton innovation — “Howl at the Moon Night”. Writes B-Mets director of video production Jon Cofer:

“Our original intent was to set a world record, but Guinness declined our request, so instead we just had our fans howl at the moon to earn the second half of our double-grand finale during the fireworks. Either people really like to howl, or they really wanted that double-grand finale, because it got pretty loud.”

Excellent — until now, I had never envisioned Minor League Baseball stadiums as a place to get in touch with bestial urges and primal instincts. The lesson, once again, is that the possibilities, they are endless…

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Just Another Footrace Between Alcoholic Beverages

Long-time readers of this blog (they exist!) are aware that I am a big fan of nightly races that take place in Minor League ballparks. More specifically, races that involve recurring costumed characters sprinting through foul territory as if their lives depended on it.

A shining example of this would be the Spiedie Races that took place in Binghamton last season. The drama and intrigue surrounding these battles gradually reached a fever pitch, but a Sopranos-esque anti-climax resulted in far more questions than it answered.

But that was last season. Let’s talk about 2009, because the Asheville Tourists have something interesting going on. I will now defer to an email I received from Tourists broadcaster Ben Levine:

I’m not sure if you’re familiar with
the city of Asheville, but it’s pretty unique and it is known for a few things
in particular. Among them is its reputation for being one of the nation’s hubs
for independent breweries. There are a bunch of local and regional breweries in
and around the area.

This season, [lead broadcaster] Jay [Burnham]
got five of the local breweries to sign on to sell their beers on our concourse
at a ‘Local Beers of Asheville’ stand, and he also got them to sponsor what
we’re calling ‘The Great Asheville Beer Race.’ It’s basically comparable to the
Hot Dog race in Milwaukee and the Presidents racing in Nationals Stadium. We
ordered five different beer costumes and distributed them to each sponsor for
decoration. We will run the races for Thursday-Saturday games, and we use fans
to run the race, offering a brewery T-shirt to the winner.

This sounds awesome. All I need now is some good ol’ photographic evidence.

Thanks! Now, I would like to see a picture featuring the gentleman on the far right. Make it happen, computer.

I just came to the realization that the above picture features a man with a head on his head.

Until next time, I remain,

Sue Ryder Mascot Gold Cup 2024

This is the 17th Mascot Gold Cup, which set the Guinness World Record for the Most Mascots in a Race back in 2015 - check out a video of golden highlights covering the past 15 years' of the Mascot Gold Cup below.

Watch all the fun from the Sue Ryder Mascot Gold Cup

Your four ticket options

• Standard Entry (bring your own mascot) for those that may want to raise sponsorship money for their own chosen charity rather than Sue Ryder or for those who cannot commit to pledging a minimum £100 sponsorship money for Sue Ryder.
  
• Entry (including mascot hire) for those that may want to raise sponsorship money for their own chosen charity rather than Sue Ryder or for those who cannot commit to pledging a minimum £100 sponsorship money for Sue Ryder and would also like to hire a mascot. A catalogue can be emailed to you, once your entry is confirmed.
  
• Entry with fundraising pledge (£100 minimum for Sue Ryder) plus mascot hire for anyone committing to pledge a minimum of £100 sponsorship money for Sue Ryder and who would like to borrow one of our available mascots. We have approximately 50 mascots available on a first come first served basis. A catalogue will be emailed to you to select from, once your entry is confirmed.
  
• Entry with fundraising pledge (£100 minimum for Sue Ryder) for anyone committing to pledge a minimum of £100 sponsorship money for Sue Ryder and who have their own mascot.

For all entries, mascots get two complimentary tickets for the day (one for themselves and one for a friend) as well as more half-price tickets for the day as required.

The spectators cheer for their favorite mascots and may even participate in activities such as wave flags or wear team colors to show their support. Mascot races have become a beloved tradition in many sports stadiums and have gained a following of their own. Fans look forward to seeing their favorite mascots compete and often form emotional connections with the characters, considering them as part of the team or organization they represent. In addition to providing entertainment, mascot races also serve as a way to promote the team or organization and engage with the audience. The races create a memorable experience for fans and can help strengthen brand loyalty and fan engagement, as they associate the fun and excitement of the races with the team or organization. Overall, mascot races are a lively and enjoyable addition to sporting events and public gatherings. They bring a sense of fun and excitement to the audience, allow fans to interact with their favorite mascots, and help promote the teams and organizations they represent..

Reviews for "Mascot Races in Professional Sports: Do They Add Value to the Game?"

1. John - 2 stars - I went to a baseball game recently and they had these silly mascot races during the inning breaks. I found them to be quite annoying and distracting from the actual game. I went there to watch baseball, not to see a bunch of people dressed up in oversized costumes running around. It took away from the excitement and intensity of the game and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

2. Sarah - 1 star - I attended a basketball game and they had a mascot race during halftime. I couldn't understand why people found it entertaining. The whole thing just seemed childish and out of place in a professional sports setting. It may be cute for kids, but for me, it was a waste of time and completely uninteresting. I would have preferred to see a halftime show or some other form of entertainment rather than a mascot race.

3. Emily - 2 stars - I watched a hockey game where they had a mascot race during intermission. I found it to be quite silly and unnecessary. It didn't add any value to the overall experience and felt like a cheap attempt to entertain the crowd. I would have preferred if they had used that time for something more engaging and entertaining, such as a skills competition or a performance by a local band. The mascot race just fell flat and left me feeling unimpressed.

Mascot Races for Charity: How Races Raise Money for Good Causes