The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds 711 - Early Baseball Mascots
Dec 2, 2025
Dive into the quirky world of early baseball mascots! Discover how the term 'mascotte' emerged from a French opera and led to the rise of animal and boy mascots. Enjoy tales of unique creatures and kids who served as lucky charms, and the seriousness with which teams treated these figures. Hear about Ulysses Harrison, a mascot caught in racial dynamics, and the superstitions surrounding players like Ty Cobb. With discussions on exploitation and the evolution of mascots, this journey reveals the bizarre and often heartfelt side of baseball's history.
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Origins: Living Mascots On The Field
- Early mascots were often real animals or street boys used as good-luck charms by teams and papers like The Sporting Life popularized them.
- Yale's Handsome Dan and Harvard's John the Orangeman illustrate how mascots became fixtures at games and campus life.
Superstition Fueled Exploitation
- Teams treated marginalized people as talismans, believing social outcasts brought supernatural luck to players.
- This reveals a disturbing link between superstition and exploitation in early baseball culture.
Lil Erastus: Mascot Life With Ty Cobb
- Ulysses Simon Harrison, a Black orphan, became Ty Cobb's and the Tigers' mascot in 1908 and traveled with the team.
- Players rubbed their bats on his hair for luck and he slept in clubhouses and hotels during road trips.
