South Carolina football fans pushing to rename mascot ‘Cock Commander’

A rising faction of South Carolina followers wish to rename their stay mascot “Cock Commander.”

It’s a sophisticated story, so we should always most likely begin from the highest.

As detailed by the Submit and Courier in Charleston, a married couple named Mary Snelling and Ron Albertelli (henceforth known as the Albertellis for brevity) have been shepherding the stay gamecock mascot, Sir Huge Spur to South Carolina sporting occasions since 1999, and soccer video games since 2006.

Sir Huge Spur’s present and former house owners are in dispute over the state of Sir Huge Spur’s comb.

Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures

The Albertellis are getting up there in age, so that they wound up bequeathing the hen — Sir Huge Spur VI — and the final accountability of bringing it to occasions to a different couple, Beth and Van Clark.

Nevertheless, an intense disagreement has emerged.

On high of the rooster’s head is a crimson comb. The Albertellis would clip this comb to make the animal look extra like a “Combating Gamecock” — the animal that the staff is called after.

After Sir Huge Spur handed on the age of 12, the Clarks held tryouts for 3 totally different roosters to be the following mascot.

When the Albertellis noticed photos on social media of the brand new rooster, they weren't pleased about it, and so they declined to resume an settlement with the college to permit them to proceed utilizing the Sir Huge Spur title.

“In the event that they’re really going to struggle, they take off the combs as a result of that’s yet another half that may bleed,” Ron Albertelli instructed the Submit and Courier. “The comb at all times stands out in an image of a barnyard rooster, however Sir Huge Spur is a Combating Gamecock.”

The Clarks felt that trimming the comb was inhumane.

“We raised these gamecocks to be mascots. The mascot must be, I really feel, branded with the college,” Van Clark instructed the outlet. “We additionally need the birds to be as wholesome as potential. When the combs are off, they will’t deal with warmth as nicely. These birds are raised to be mascots, and at many video games, the warmth is almost insufferable. We wish to preserve the mascot wholesome. That’s our job now.”

Sir Huge Spur, the South Carolina Gamecocks mascot, is in want of a brand new title.

AP

The Albertellis see it in another way.

“A hen is a hen however a preventing gamecock is one thing totally different. That is dumbing down the Gamecocks,” Ron Abertelli stated.

So, South Carolina wants a brand new title for its stay mascot.

The State, a newspaper based mostly in Columbia, Sc., ran a ballot with 10 names to see what Gamecocks followers would need for the following mascot title: Cock Commander, Cluck Norris, Coop, Normal, Cock-a-Doodle-Dude, Marco Pollo, Brooster, Capt. Cluck, Kirkin’ Hen or Mr. Hen Scratch.

Cock Commander is working away with the race. A whopping 79 p.c of respondents are selecting that as the brand new title for the stay mascot.

Whether or not the college will acquiesce to the desire of the individuals is a distinct matter, but it surely’s fairly clear the place the populism lies.