I have some perspective having worn the costume in the mid 90s. I never did it with the expectation of getting paid. The university was very generous with providing me with an academic scholarship to begin with. I speak fondly of Boston College as i'm a Boston native but BC offered me zero dollars upon admission. The generosity of the trustees of SU and whomever else allowed me to go to SU with a generous package. To that i'm forever indebted. Hopefully wearing the mascot was a miniscule way of saying "thank you".
To me, being the mascot was just a fun thing to do. I got to travel for free, act like an *ss on national tv and have stories for lifetimes to come. Some I can tell, others i'll never tell. I did see the faces of sick kids at hospitals, nursing home visits, and other countless visits with alum around the country as something that just made me feel good about the gig.
A few funny financial anecdotes from that experience. Dick Vitale was very surprised to learn the mascot got zero money. He told me once that the Leprachaun at ND was on a full ride. I never confirmed this but that was the first time I realized I was providing a service versus doing something I perceived as fun. I think in the early 90s everything wasn't distilled down to what does this cost and what i'm providing. Soapbox wise, college sports were better when it wasn't simply a marketplace for every function served. Otherwise, the pep band, the marching band, cheerleaders and walk ons would have as big a gripe about not getting "theirs". Obviously the world has changed.
I hope the university does invest more in the mascot program and kids get some sort of help if it's needed to do the role. I'm not sure what is a right number but I do know that Julie has built that program into something that has structure, organization and pride. What more can you ask for.
newhouse.syr.edu
