In 2020, we are seeing athletes, sponsors, and fans ask their teams and universities to make a real change to their image across the sports landscape. One easy, simplistic way to begin that change is through language. More specifically, the names we use to refer to schools, mascots, buildings, and team names carry weight. As seen this summer, the Washington Racial Slurs are planning on changing their name (and we have some ideas to help!). The Cleveland Indians have also recently debated their own name (and we have some ideas to help them, too!). But not every mascot in need of a makeover is because of a problematic history, nor is every makeover a professional franchise. A school that could use a makeover? Look no further than the Rhode Island School of Design… aka the RISD Nads, and the RISD Balls.
Yes, at a RISD sporting event, you can see throngs of fans shouting “Go! Nads!” at hockey games. Yes, their basketball team logos feature two basketballs in a single net.
And yes, they know what they’re yelling, and yes they know what’s on those t-shirts… in fact, that’s kind of the point.
According to several publications, RISD is the country’s number one school for the arts and artists. The small university has just over 2,000 undergraduate students and has a campus that bleeds into the Brown University campus there in providence. While Brown is in the Ivy League, RISD competes at the Division III level… assuming you use the word “competes” liberally.
RISD has one of the most creative student bodies in America. They’ve produced actors like James Franco and Charles Rocket, animators like Seth MacFarlane and Bryan Konietzko, and directors like Charles Stone III and Gus Van Sant. But athletics has never been a big component of their university. The school let the students create the mascot, Scrotie.
Scrotie is the phallic mascot that cheers on the Nads, Balls, Seamen, Pricks, and other teams from across the RISD campus. Each team has a separate (though clearly intentionally themed) mascot, but Scrotie is there to be sure each and every student section remembers their sport-specific cheers.
Here at Belly Up Sports, we’re not opposed to controversy. Hell, we’re not even necessarily opposed to phallic based jokes, team memorabilia, or mascots. BUT – the team needs to get everyone, even Scrotie, on the same page… What should we call the Rhode Island School of Design athletic teams?
Parker’s Idea: RISD Peacocks
Look, everyone understands the rub here: phallic mascots are clearly what the student body wanted. They clearly decided long ago to make a mockery of this whole process. They’re not the first school to make a penis joke, and they won’t be the last.
But do they have to be so obvious?
We’ve seen schools like South Carolina cleverly market “Gamecocks” merch.” We’ve all seen the hats, tee shirts, and jerseys that simply read “‘Cocks.” That’s exactly what RISD should do as well… Except there’s one problem: RISD isn’t exactly known for how they perform in games. They don’t give off the hypermasculine figure that a fighting rooster in South Carolina does as it cock-a-doodle-doos to greet the sunrise. But you know what kind of bird RISD could be represented by?
The most colorful, biggest, and most flamboyant ‘Cock around, the Peacock.
What other mascot taps into both the colorful and artistic nature of the students while keeping their phallic humor in play? “Go Cocks!” is hardly different than “Nads” or “Seamen.” Sure, we may need to alter the color and shape of scrotie… A peacock is known to have a long and slender neck before the head appears at the top, and behind the peacock body is a large, round background of feathers. I’m sure RISD could come up with some way to make a few slight alterations to Scrotie and unite their teams as the peacocks.
As Mark Whalburg told us, peacocks got to fly.
Chaka’s Idea: RISD Crazy
God as my witness, I didn’t think RISD had sports!
Like, no idea!
So, not only do they have sports, but their teams are a walking Eddie Murphy joke.
It’s cool that students are not pigeon-holed into just being artists. They are athletes; regular renaissance people!
My issue; Scroties feel real gender specific. We can be creative and be inclusive.
So, we can go with some sort of juvenile joke about a woman’s body- or we can just go off the rails!
Students at RISD just want a creative chant; let’s give them one!
I’m imagining students wearing costumes and having glitter bombs that they are ready to toss and all sorts of madness that is constantly on the brink during a game.
Then, the chant leader yells;
“Let’s, go…Crazy!”
The stands explode! The fans go bananas! There is a ridiculous party in the stand for an entire game as students continue to chant;
“Let’s, go…Crazy!!!”
It’s creative, inclusive, and, frankly, leaves room for students at one of the most creative schools in the country to bring their outlandishness to new levels every game.
Kev’s Idea: RISD Scroties
I’m going to have to go against the grain here, but RISD shouldn’t change their mascot. As mentioned, RISD competes in DIII. It’s unlikely a DIII player will go pro (it’s happened, but not often), and it’s all about fun. Players come and go, but a mascot is forever (unless you’re Ole Miss).
I want apparel with “RISD Balls” on it, I want to scream “Go Nads!” at a hockey game. Sports at their core are supposed to be fun. In a world with so much sadness, are we really prepared to take away a place of joy for so many? I’m not. Scrotie today, Scrotie tomorrow, Scrotie forever. Scrotie should stay.
VOTE
[socialpoll id=”2671808″]
Find Parker (@painsworth512), Chaka (@chakacummings) and Kev (@BellyUpKev) on Twitter, and check out the Mascot Madness articles on The University of Oklahoma, old NBA Teams, the Texas Rangers, the University of Mississippi, the Cleveland Indians, and the Washington Racial Slurs for more mascot related content.
