Todd’s Take: A New Generation of Fans Can Embrace Hoosier The Bison Mascot

Indiana slow-rolled this mascot revelation with a series of videos on its social media channels in the last two weeks. From the first one they dropped, it was pretty clear what direction Indiana was headed, but they were fun, and we got to see some Indiana personalities show off their considerable acting skills as a bonus.

Not that anyone cares, but I have been in favor of a mascot. Specifically, I have been in favor of a bison mascot. The state of Indiana’s ties to bison have been written about ad nauseum, so there’s no need to go over that ground again, but it’s as appropriate imagery for an Indiana mascot as anything else might be.

In my simple-mindedness, I also tend to view this mascot introduction as a defeat for the fun police and a win for those who don’t take athletics as serious as a heart attack. For that reason alone, I’m all for a mascot.

But I know it’s not as simple as that, and I know my opinion isn’t necessarily aligned with the majority. Plus, when I get into that mindset, I have to reel myself in a bit and put myself in a fan’s shoes. To do that, I have to dive into my own emotional ties to my favorite teams.

For example, I really dislike the city series alternate uniforms my favorite NBA team (yes, the Milwaukee Bucks, get your yuks in Pacers fans) wears. It’s the wrong color and it’s a wonky design and it’s just not “Bucks” to me. In baseball, it’s been over 25 years now and I still just tolerate the anthropomorphic Bernie Brewer. When I was a kid, Bernie was a real person and we liked it!

However, many do like both and would cast me in the role of “fun police” that I am decrying in Indiana’s mascot introduction. So I should cast no stones.

As it relates to Indiana, while part of my brain embraces the fun of it, the other part sees the practical reasons for a mascot.

As a consumer, which is what a fan is if you boil it down to its essence, your experience with an entertainment product is supposed to be enjoyable. If a mascot strengthens or enhances the bond to make that experience more enjoyable, I have no idea why would anyone object to that?

Whether fans like the design of the mascot itself is a different story, but resisting the very idea of a mascot just seems odd to me.

But that doesn’t mean some fans see it that way. In response to earlier stories we wrote on the possibility of a mascot, the comments on social media reflected the divide in the fanbase on having a mascot.

“Sorry, but I'm a Hoosier…not a bison.”

“They tried to foist the Bison on us when I was a student at IU in the late 1960s. It flopped, thank goodness. I hope it flops again. It makes no sense.”

“No thanks. Candy stripes are good enough.”

There were also comments in support of a mascot.

“I loved the bison!”

“Would love to see the return of the bison!”

“Some people just hate everything, and they are always more vocal. #BringBackTheBison!”

The column I wrote on May 18 conveyed how I feel about it. It’s harmless fun, it’s good for kids, it’s good for Indiana’s bottom line as it opens up a merchandising stream Indiana has not had in the modern era of marketing an athletic department.

On that last point, Indiana kind of lucked out. With college and athletic departments hunting high and low to create revenue streams that will help pay for the athletes they will be paying directly, being able to brand yourself without really changing the brand is a no-brainer.

I’m not suggesting having a bison mascot is a total game-changer, but those bison mascot stuffed animals that will no doubt soon be available at your favorite place to shop for Indiana gear was money Indiana was leaving on the table.

As for Hoosier The Bison? I eagerly await the reaction to that name. I don’t mind it. Indiana kept it simple and didn’t try too hard by forcing something drastically new on a fanbase that will have many skeptical about having a mascot in the first place.

It will take time to get used to Hoosier The Bison as a familiar presence at Indiana athletic events. Some will love it, some will never embrace it.

I guess my acid test would be whether something new like a mascot would threaten traditions long held at Indiana? In my mind, that’s a resounding no.

Hoosier The Bison isn’t replacing a previous beloved mascot. Hoosier The Bison isn’t bringing about a change in IU’s colors. (Writing that brings me back to 1997 when IU briefly had the oval logo and the emphasis on black and red primarily associated with football. Can you imagine how that would have gone if social media existed at the time?)

Hoosier The Bison isn’t removing the candy-striped warm-ups from the basketball teams. Hoosier The Bison is not going to be lowering any banners inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

No IU traditions are being threatened by Hoosier The Bison – unless you consider not having a mascot a tradition itself. I don’t. Indiana is not unique in that regard despite what fans may think (see Michigan), so why hold on to that?

So long may Hoosier The Bison roam. The bison might not be for you, but think of the bison as a new tradition that the next generations of Indiana fans can be proud of.