Competitive Edge - Sports & Entertainment Marketing News

Kraken mascot Buoy surfaces after years of planning, fan input

Buoy, a sea troll partly inspired by the famous Fremont Troll sculpture in Seattle, debuted before the Kraken played the Vancouver Canucks in a preseason game at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday and soon will appear in spots all over town.

Click here to read the story at seattletimes.com.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is branding?
  2. Why is branding important to a pro sports franchise?
  3. Why do sports teams have mascots?
  4. Why do you think the Kraken waited until the team’s second season to introduce a mascot?
  5. How do you think the team determined the mascot name?
  6. In your opinion, and based on what you read in this news story, is the mascot a good representation of the community? Why is that important?
  7. What are community relations?
  8. How will having a mascot benefit the franchise from a community relations perspective?
  9. In lesson 7.4 of your textbook (The Business of Sports and Entertainment), we discuss the concept of taking an empathetic approach to sales. How might this story represent an example of that concept?
  10. Why would the franchise want fan input on the team’s mascot?
Chris Lindauer
After working for nearly a decade in professional sports, Chris Lindauer, formed Sports Career Consulting to provide unique sports business education opportunities in and out of the classroom. In the eighteen years (and counting) that followed, Chris has inspired thousands of students to pursue their passions and explore the career of their dreams. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, two teenage daughters and their dog.

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