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William & Mary & Eagle & Lion
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↵There aren’t nearly enough mystical beast mascots in sports, so it’s welcome news that William & Mary has selected the griffin as the university’s new mascot. The school, which is the second-oldest college in the country, was forced by the NCAA to find an alternative to its The Tribe moniker and imagery that had accompanied their sports teams. While The Tribe name will remain with William & Mary in an unofficial capacity, the griffin becomes the new de jure icon for the school.↵
↵For those not up on their mythology, a griffin combines the body of a lion with the head of an eagle, making it possibly the king of both the jungle and skies. The griffin beat out the other five finalists (a king, a queen, a wren, a phoenix and a pug) culled from thousands of suggestions sent to administrators. While the pug probably would have generated the most attention for its sheer absurdity, a popular, but relatively harmless breed of dog isn't going to instill fear in opponents, insomuch as mascots instill fear in anyone.↵
↵↵It being a storied institution of learning, the university put together a twee little video to announce the change. While the president saying “Get me the griffin” is no “Release the kraken!” I commend William & Mary on its commitment to being different. Now some school only needs to adopt the esquilax. ↵
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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