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The Piper is not without flair, but for some reason the mascot has failed to ignite the excitement of today’s fans. His pied tunic and cape could be considered festive, but one would be hard pressed to find a student who is inspired by the costume, whether in the previous garb iterations or the current costumed version. The image is seen as a practical joke on campus rather than a symbol around which fans can rally. There is even a Facebook group dedicated to the idea that the Piper is in some way sub par as a mascot.

Unlike Hamline, schools like USC and Florida State University both take extreme pride in their mascots, mainly because of the spectacle associated with them. Granted, Hamline isn’t exactly in the same league (literally) as a USC or Florida state, but the principle that a mascot accompanied by fanfare and pageantry is better able to ignite a crowd than one without should still hold at our own university.

Nate Shaw, who used to coach against the USC Trojans at Oregon State once commented that he hated seeing USC’s mascot, Traveler the white stallion, before games. Shaw said that the very sight of the horse was enough to pump up the USC players and fans. The mascot itself is an enormous part of USC’s home field advantage. The same is true of Florida State’s mascots Chief Osceola and his horse Renegade.

Though Osceola has not been without criticism of his own, the character’s very image is inspirational to players and fans alike. Before each home game, Osceola rides his steed to the 50 yard line and ceremoniously hurls a spear into it, and though the act is always the same, it always sends the crowd into eruptions of cheers.

Is a little pageantry really that much to ask? Hamline may not have the capital to fund a football program like USC or Florida State have, and the Piper doesn’t have a horse, but would it be so difficult to envision some sort of tradition with at least comparable drama?

It doesn't have to be a spear at the 50 yard line, but anything is better than waving a finger in the air and playing second fiddle (or second flute, as it were) to a group of cheerleaders on the track. Until the Piper moves to the forefront of our team identities and school spirit the character will fail to capture our hearts.

Students today have little stake in their identities as Pipers just like the Hamline community has had little to do with the Piper since its creation in the 1920’s.

At the time, the team was officially called the “Red and Gray,” and had no official mascot. For this reason, the Pioneer Press began soliciting suggestions for a mascot that would be more emblematic of Hamline.

In the end it was a woman who had absolutely no affiliation with the school that came up with the winning idea. She suggested that since Hamline is the English translation of the name Hamelin, the town where the story of the Pied Piper originated and took place, that the Red and Grays become the Pipers. The university glad of the publicity, accepted the new title, and the first Piper was born.

Today, this divide between the mascot’s origin and the campus still exists. Students can spend their entire time as a Piper without ever naming themselves as such. To this day few take ownership of the symbol, and this may be because the university had no hand in choosing it. We can again see the roots of this mascot apathy when we contrast our own situation to that of USC and Florida State.

Hamline isn’t the only school to struggle to define a team’s identity. To date, USC has had six mascots, but before their latest there was perhaps one that was even more beloved by the students and fans than Traveler. In the 1940s a group of USC students found a stray dog that they named George.

The dog made a name for itself by roaming the campus for years, chasing cars and biting at their tires. Eventually the students began bringing him to games and allowing him to roam the sidelines. Within a season, the dog was named the school’s official mascot.

George Tirebiter further endeared himself to USC fans when he attacked California Golden Bears human mascot Oski at the 1947 USC/Cal football game. It might be a bad idea for the Piper to attack St. Thomas’ Tommy the Tomcat, but it would undoubtedly spark interest in the character, as it did for George Tirebiter.

Chief Osceola and Renegade of Florida State have found a different way to relate to their school’s fans. Coach Bill Durham, envisioned the pair and the ride they make together at every home game, and to this day Seminole tribespeople design and sew the authentic garb worn by Chief Osceola and the saddle of Renegade. Both the community at large and within the school have stake in the mascots because they have history together. They chose the image, and together they continue to create it to this day.

If the Piper is ever to be taken seriously, the mascot must be embraced as George Tirebiter was, connect to the fans as Chief Osceola does, and inspire them like Traveler. The Hamline community must begin to take ownership of the image. It should be emblazoned on t-shirts at the bookstore, in our halls, and in the names of our organizations.

OFFICIAL UNOFFICIAL CONTEST:

Do you have an idea for a new and/or improved Hamline mascot? The Oracle would like to hear it. Just for fun, tell us what the new mascot should be, look like, and why. Once a week, the Oracle Sports Department will print one entry in its pages. This is the student body's opportunity to take ownership of the mascot, however whimsical it may seem.
Send suggestions for the Piper’s new name to oracle@hamline.edu with a 50-word or less description and explanation of why you think your entry should be chosen. Entries should be identified by writing PIPER MASCOT in the subject line. The winner will receive a new Hamline Piper T-Shirt.