The
Ole Miss Rebel Black Bear has completed his first season cheering on the Rebel football team from the sidelines. He had some notable moments during the season such as his "Nutt" costume for the game versus Arkansas, the wearing of a
box over his head during the homecoming game against Louisiana Tech or his failure to be seen during the
Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State.
While Rebel's antics this season might not endear him to some older fans, Michael Thompson, the senior associate athletics director for marketing and communications, says that the bear's main goal is to get more kids involved in and bigger fans of Ole Miss. The Rebel Kids Club allowed members to hang out with Rebel before the homecoming game and participate in the Walk of Champions with the football team.
"Rebel is at the Rebel Fanfare before the games and the kids want to line up and have pictures taken with him," Thompson said.
Older fans are skeptical of the bear and think that the black bear should be there as a symbol of the university geared towards the students, not the children of alumni.
"Are we trying to be like Penn State and recruit 10 year-olds now?" one fan asked.
For more on the Rebel the Black Bear's first season on the sidelines, click
here.
No comments:
Post a Comment