The ultimate list of best and worst mascots if you’re a Philly sports fan

Is anyone surprised?

No mascot list on my watch is going to be without Gritty - even if it's just acknowledging how incredible he is. Listen, though he's only been around for a little over two years, he's quickly become one of the most talked about and highly praised mascots around the globe. Not only does he embody the typical Philadelphia fan with his energy - he is talented beyond belief.

From nailing half court shots at college basketball games, to epic level trolling on social media, a wicked golf shot and crazy dance skills on and off the ice - he can do it all. I could be biased as the self-proclaimed president of the Gritty Committee, but let's be real, everyone knows Gritty is great ... except if you're a Penguins fan.

Speaking of Penguins, let's take a quick look at their mascot, Iceburgh.

This team has a literal animal to model their mascot off of and it still looks like a character that should be roaming Times Square and charging five dollars for pictures with tourists. He's been around since 1992 - so, almost 30 years of dealing with this confused looking knockoff muppet.

Philly is extremely lucky to have two of the most iconic mascots in all of sports - Gritty, the newcomer, and the one and only Phillie Phanatic. Since 1978, he has been creating memories for the Phillies and fans from the Vet all the way to Citizens Bank Park. This lovable mascot has become a staple in Major League Baseball and is known for his crazy green fur and epic dance offs on the dugout.

I've personally been on a mission since I was eight years old to catch a hot dog from the Phanatic when he flies across the outfield in a decked out ATV ... and I'm not going to give up hope any time soon.

You just can't take this thing seriously. Well ... no one can really take the Mets seriously, either, so to some extent this at least makes sense. He is described as "a man with a large baseball for a head."

He's been around since April of 1962 and has somehow found his way into the Mascot Hall of Fame (yes, that's a real thing) and has even been listed as the number one mascot in all of sports by Forbes in 2012. Anyone else as confused as we are?

In the late 1970s when new mascots in MLB were gaining popularity - the Phillie Phanatic being one - the Mets phased out their mascot and soon enough, he disappeared for nearly 20 years. Even Philly mascots hold so much power against rivals.

Blooper may have only been around since 2018, but the Atlanta Braves' mascot has been turning heads ever since.

You might remember the mascot from the 2019 season where he spent some time pregame against the Phillies trolling Bryce Harper. After convincing the right fielder to sign a document stating that it was National Bryce Harper day, the mascot soon revealed that he had actually signed his name on a 330 million dollar check - aka the same amount Harper signed for with the Phillies. I guess some people would find that funny ...

Swoop is one of the more popular mascots across the NFL and rightfully so. He's a host for a television show, the Eagles Kids Club, for goodness sake. Now, how many mascots can say that they're a host for anything? It's pretty impressive if we're being honest.

The Eagles also have one of the more detailed bird logos in the league, so thankfully that detail when creating Swoop certainly carried over.

Do you ever see a picture of something and immediately hate it with a burning passion? Yeah, that's how it was with Rowdy, the Dallas Cowboys' mascot. He was even named the "Most Hated NFL Mascot" by Sports Illustrated in 2015 and that's probably the only award this thing will ever win.

Mascots that look like people shouldn't exist. It defeats the entire purpose of a mascot. They say everything is bigger in Texas ... but I guess that doesn't include ideas.

Way back when, a few seasons after the Sixers moved on from Hip Hop, they released a few possible options for the team's new mascot. Remember when a possible option was Ben Franklin? Yes ... Ben Franklin. The key and kite and whole shebang.

Luckily, the Sixers decided on man's best friend, a dog - Franklin. The blue furry mascot made his debut in 2015 when his team had a rough (or should I say ruff) 12-41 record. Franklin is often seen rolling up to game days in style and has the talent to be a potential sixth man off the bench with his dunks.

A Leprechaun has been the base of the Celtics' logo since the start of the 1950-51 season, and while it has evolved a bit over time, things have pretty much stayed the same. This mascot makes sense ... but you know what doesn't?

The fact it's an actual person. Yes, *technically* a mascot can be a person or thing, but there is something extremely unsettling about it just being a person. Where is the fun and excitement?

Did they even try to hire a real leprechaun? Probably not.