The Rise of Sports Teams’ Mascots on Social Media

Social media platforms are critical for engaging with fans, building brand loyalty, and expanding reach. In this quest for online exposure, mascots have emerged as powerful assets for teams, helping them establish a strong, authentic social media following. 

To make tracking and valuing mascot accounts easier for teams, Blinkfire has included team mascot accounts in our team roster settings. Let’s explore some examples of how mascots have become increasingly important in this digital landscape.

1. Creating Engaging Content

Social media successes hinge on creating compelling and shareable content, and mascots are natural content creators. From live game updates and exclusive interviews to humorous skits and challenges, mascots bring a fresh and entertaining perspective to team-related content. Their animated presence allows for creative storytelling, fostering engagement and building anticipation among fans.

Gritty (Philadelphia Flyers) and Blue (Indianapolis Colts) are two mascots dominating the social media landscape. Blue, in particular, has become the most famous TikTok mascot with over 8 million followers on the short-form video platform. Clearly, fans love mascots’ humorous content that brings a different form of entertainment to the teams and sports they love. 

2. Extending Brand Reach

Mascots have a unique ability to transcend geographical boundaries and language barriers. Their universal appeal and lighthearted nature make them easily relatable, allowing teams to reach a broader audience on social media. By leveraging mascots as brand ambassadors, teams can extend their reach and attract followers from diverse backgrounds, thereby growing their online communities and fostering global fan bases.

Benny the Bull of the Chicago Bulls has over 6.2 million followers across social media. That is more than all but two players on the Chicago Bulls and makes up 13.5% of the total roster followers for the team. Crazy to believe, but Benny the Bull would currently rank 33rd out of all current NBA players in terms of total following. The Chicago Bulls essentially have another superstar player on their team that they have full control over to extend brand reach and feature corporate partnerships.

3. Facilitating Fan Interaction

Behind the jerseys and statistics, sports teams are made up of real people, and mascots bridge the gap between the players and the fans. Social media is all about fostering a sense of community, and mascots excel in engaging with fans. Mascots humanize the team, injecting a sense of humor, warmth, and approachability into the online presence. Whether it’s replying to comments, running contests, or initiating interactive challenges, mascots encourage fans to actively participate in online conversation. By interacting with fans, attending community events, and sharing behind-the-scenes content, mascots help forge personal connections that translate into loyal online followings.

In today’s digitally-driven world, building a strong social media following is crucial for sports teams to connect with fans, enhance their brand image, and drive revenue. Mascots have emerged as invaluable assets in this pursuit by creating engaging content, facilitating fan interaction, and extending brand reach. As mascots continue to evolve and adapt, their significance for teams in building social media followings is only set to increase. So, the next time you see a team’s mascot on your social media feed, take a moment to appreciate the role they play in fostering a vibrant online community and strengthening the bond between teams and their fans.

Track and Value Your Team’s Roster with Blinkfire

Tracking and valuing your roster, including mascots, across social media is essential to maximizing value. Blinkfire empowers partnerships and social media teams with the most accurate, real-time data powered by our patented, proprietary AI technology.

Interested in learning more about how Blinkfire can help track and value your sponsorships and social media content with advanced data reporting? Contact our team today!