How to Become a Team Mascot Like S.J. Sharkie
Just being goofy isn't enough. You also have to be a capable athlete, good at reading people, able to follow a script, and talented enough to create entertaining routines. A good set of teeth can take you a long way, too.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
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Evaluate your skills. To be a professional mascot, you need to be part clown, part athlete, part stuntman. You need to be fit (you're constantly on the move and the temperature in one of those costumes can be 110 degrees), creative enough to develop solid routines, a people person who can read crowds and individuals, and physically capable of performing stunts like falling down stairs, tumbling and rappelling.
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Learn the business. Contact local sports teams. At a small operation, you want to talk to someone in promotions; at a larger operation, it will likely be someone in community development. Get into this kind of work whether you start off in a costume or not.
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Work your way up. If you're still in college, start there. Then look to minor league teams, followed by major league organizations. As with many jobs, you climb the ladder as your experience grows.
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Borrow great ideas from other mascots. There's a small community of mascots, and they're all friends. They'll see something in each other's acts and convert the concept so that it works for their own crowds.
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Have fun, but stay in control. It's a kick to be the center of attention and to succeed in getting a crowd going, but many people hurt themselves in the long run by forgetting it's a job; you've still got to be a professional.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't be afraid to work for free, if that's what it takes - you wouldn't be the first to start that way.
A couple of Web sites, "Gameops" and "Mascots," post promotional job opportunities, including mascot positions, as well as sell costumes and props. The "Mascots" site actually offers training classes as well. Check out the Related Sites to your left.
