As you walk through the Dome doors, you are immediately welcomed by a symphony of cheers, yells, and loudspeakers. An ocean of orange surrounds a lush green island filled with a bunch of little men playing monkey in the middle with a pig-skin. Stomping feet, harmonic chants, and the crowd goes wild as the… wait a second, why is there a dancing orange on the field? Oh, right, that’s the mascot. Remember learning about that when you were considering applying to Syracuse University? It was funny then too. A school with a reputable reputation for sports and the mascot is an ever-fearsome citrus fruit. Then again, oranges can become a whole new beast if you get their juice in your eye.
It may have never occurred to you that the choice of mascot was an intentionally ironic one. It certainly didn’t occur to me until just a few weeks ago. Using this epiphany as inspiration, I’ve come up with three reasons why Otto the Orange is a pretty fantastic mascot to have cheering alongside us at each and every game.
1. We could be stuck with baby pink and baby blue as our school colors…
With a heritage that dates back to the 1800s, you probably assumed that Otto the Formidable Orange was always the mascot and the school colors were always orange and blue. Think back to the ocean of orange and picture it as a sea of baby pink and baby blue. And you thought the fruit was funny. If there’s anything that screams, “Don’t mess with us,” more than a dancing orange, it would have to be a flood of newborn-themed t-shirts and pom-poms.
2. We could be stuck with a controversal mascot…
Look back to even more recent Syracusian times and you’ll find a Saltine Warrior Chief as our mascot. Because that’s not offensive. So offensive, in fact, that in 1978 there was a student-led protest demanding that the Saltine Warrior no longer represent Syracuse University sports teams. A few failed attempts at finding a mascot later: the spirited citrus fruit we know and love as Otto was born in 1984.
3. We could be Corn Huskers…
Sorry to all of those University of Nebraska fans out there, but at least a piece of produce is ironic. A mascot that’s literally just an occupation? No thanks.
All of a sudden, the funny sphere of citrus dancing across the field doesn’t seem all that dorky. All it took was a history lesson, and what once seemed like an unimpressive representation of the school you call home is now a respectable symbol of Syracuse University’s sense of humor.