Lonely mascots are a surreal symbol of sports
“Hockey needs me, I need hockey, the world needs Gritty.”
In an ode to sports mascots shut out by the pandemic, Mike Vorel of the Seattle Times writes:
For some mascots, the experience was especially muted. Take Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers’ seven-foot fever dream of untamable orange fur. Like his fellow mascots, Gritty was not allowed inside the NHL’s post-season bubble. And, when the league’s shortened 2021season was announced last month, it included a glaring mascot omission.
“Hockey is back!” Gritty tweeted to his 356,000 followers on Dec. 21. “I couldn’t help but notice that (NHL commissioner Gary Bettman) left mascots out of his big announcement yesterday. @NHL you kept me out of the playoff bubble last season but I DEMAND admission to Flyers games this season. Hockey needs me, I need hockey, the world needs
GRITTY
Gritty.”
Later, he added: “I’m depleted. I need to refuel my soul.”
To do that, he launched a change.org petition, which had garnered 14,730 signatures as of Wednesday. Kevin Hayes, a seventh-year Flyers centre, also tweeted that the NHL has a “big decision to make! If @GrittyNHL is not allowed in the building for games then I don’t think I can play this year! #GetGrittyIn”
Two days later, the league officially acquiesced, granting Gritty NHL arena access. It was a rare victory for the smiling, wide-eyed instigator. Still, what must life be like for a mascot in an eerily empty arena?