Feb 15, 2005

10 Worst Jobs in Sports: Mascot

From USA Today, a chat with Bromley Lowe, former mascot performer with the Baltimore Orioles, and now performing as YoJo.

On heat inside the costume: "Yes, Sunday afternoon games in August during "Code Red" days on the heat index will do this to you. You do gain it all back when you drink water, gatorade, or whatever beverage you consume by the gallon. (Hic!)"

Does he talk in the suit: "I usually stay silent. However there were exceptions to (A) People I work with, (B) People I know, or (C) People who are obnoxious and being jerks. Usually saying "Yo! Take it easy," in a deep voice usually shocks them."

On close games & blow-outs: "Well, they both have different atmospheres when performing. Example, when were being crushed 14-1, don't even think about making your fans get all "rah-rah." It just won't happen. Close games are easier when it comes to making people make noise."

On mascot pay: "It totally varies. Some MLB mascots make very little for what they're worth, and others get six-digit salaries. The Oriole Bird was only a part time position, so I didn't earn a full living on the birdseed that was given to me. But I do have to say it was a GREAT part-time job. It totally depends on the teams that these performers work for."

Read the full article...

Feb 2, 2005

Skydome to get a new video scoreboard

Along with a new name (Rogers Centre), the Skydome will get a new video scoreboard sometime in 2005.

TheStar.com has a good history of the jumbotron at the stadium:
"June 1989: Unveiled as world's largest JumboTron scoreboard at a cost of $17 million and hailed as the showpiece of the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Three times bigger than any colour videoboard in the world at 34.8 metres high and 10.6 metres wide. Used 420,000 Trinilite bulbs to decode and display video signals." Read more...

I saw the screen back in the summer at a soccer game, and it looked pretty good for its age. Big, bright, and lots of replays -- including one that clearly showed the acting abilities of one of the Italian soccer players.

Feb 1, 2005

Music at lacrosse games

There's a good discussion on the Lacrosse Forums about music in National Lacrosse League games. The NLL is one of the few sports to play music not just in stoppages of play, but throughout the entire game.

http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=12675

Some samples:

"Anyone who's sat close to the floor for summer box lacrosse knows that this sport is better when you can hear it....the slash to the forearm that you can hear all the way in the back rows.....the sound of a car wreck when two or more opposing players chase a loose ball into a corner....The sound of a shot hitting the post.....or smacking off the goalie's pads. These sounds are all better than listening to the same crappy CDs I could listen to at home for nothing."

"The music should be used when a larger arena isn't very full. The sport is great to watch but it will become boring after a while if they don't do something to keep the crowd. When the building is packed and the game is intence, there is abosolutly no reason to be playing music since they crowd should be overpowering it anyway."