We love when mascots are done well, from the Phoenix Gorilla to the San Diego Chicken to the Phillie Phanatic, they all have their place in sports lore and branding. Sometimes the interest wanes, sometimes it never exists, sometimes even with careful planning and research, the acrobatic, silly and thought to be loveable plans for a mascot fall on hard time and disappear.
And then there are the Washington Nationals and The Racing Presidents.
Few mascot groups have worked so well in American sports, even with the inclusion of the Milwaukee Brewers racing sausages which always seem to find their way into a highlight film a few times during the MLB season. The Presidents are on a different level because of the way the Nationals have protected, marketed and cultivated their brand. In and around DC, maybe Bryce Harper draws more attention, but not much more than The Presidents.
One of the keys to the mascot’s growth is the way the club has kept the buzz around them fresh, which creatively came from a source well away from the diamond. It is a partnership with the White House Historical Association which takes its annual Christmas ornament, and works with the Nats to bring that President in as the “visitor” for the year. This year, its Herbert Hoover.
The 31st President of the United States will race alongside George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, with the official taking place in a spot not normally reserved for lighthearted sports conversation, NBC’s “Meet The Press.” Initially, the reveal was presented in the form of a riddle posed by show moderator Chuck Todd, and first solved by the Federal Baseball blog.
The Nationals had introduced Calvin Coolidge in early July 2015, but when the sharp-dressed leader failed to make an appearance at Thursday’s home opener, many wondered where Silent Cal had raced off to. As it turns out, the strategy that evolved was that Coolidge was simply a visiting racer, not a permanent addition. Coolidge finished the season with 12 race victories, good for fourth place, ahead only of Thomas Jefferson.
More importantly, the Nats got to test the waters and see how their new President stacked up with fans? Would Coolidge have stayed? Will Hoover stay? That is the fun about the brand cultivation Washington has played out.
Now of course this is all in fun. The people inside the characters give them life, and the great design of each of the characters helps give the Nats a great community presence year round, and makes the Presidents such a big part of their brand, not just locally through appearances but through social media as well. Regardless, the way the reveal and the expansion of the President’s brand brings The Nationals, and MLB, well beyond the traditional time and time again. While tough to replicate, it goes to show how originality still holds true.
Dancing gorillas and faceless acrobats are fun, but engaging and creative, with a little bit of history thrown in, still hits a homer.
