Many American
sports team names and
mascots are based upon or use
religious symbolism . The majority are scholastic teams at institutions founded by various
denominations of Christianity , both
Catholic and
Protestant .
Saints is the most popular of these names not only at religious schools but public schools. However, the latter are often indirect, the schools being located in places named for saints. The only team name that has become controversial is Crusaders , many having changed in recent years. The term, once associated with protectors of the faith is now also associated with oppression. Many Christian schools use "Knights" as their team names with imagery similar to crusaders, but it is difficult to establish religious symbolism in these cases. There are also a number of teams whose name includes
demons or
devils , which are mythological creatures from many cultures. However, the devil imagery in sports used by professional sports teams as well as public and non-sectarian schools are an example of the
Devil in the arts and popular culture more than religion. There are also a few team identities based upon
Norse mythology in popular culture .
Sports mascots and social identity
Team names and their associated sports mascots are examples of
totems in the social sciences; symbols that serve both social and psychological functions with many implicit meanings.
[1]
[2] The social function is to connect individuals into a community; the psychological function is to symbolize desired qualities with which fans can identify. Mascots are also
stereotypes , social constructs which are not always inappropriate when they provide valid, if simplified, perceptions of group differences.
[3] Participation in sports either as a player or a fan is a significant determinant of social status for college students, in particular for men.
[4]
The most popular category of sports mascots are animals, with Eagles (symbolic of America) at the top of the list followed by Tigers, Bulldogs and Panthers (symbolic of aggression). Of religious meanings, only Saints is in the top 100 in popularity with Catholic, Protestant, and public schools represented.
[5] However, many Saints teams currently have a St. Bernard dog as their mascot, often portrayed by a costumed performer.
Sectarian schools
Catholic colleges and universities
Holy Cross Crusaders logo
College of the Holy Cross ,
Worcester, Massachusetts -
Holy Cross Crusaders
DePaul University ,
Chicago ,
Illinois - The origin of the
DePaul Blue Demons dates back to 1907 when the university changed its name from St. Vincent's College. At the time, the athletic teams had
red uniforms with a large "D" on the front, the players being called the "D-men," evolving into "Demons." The name change also included the school colors.
[6] The mascot is DIBS (Demon in a Blue Suit).
Providence College ,
Providence, Rhode Island -
Providence Friars
Saint Joseph's College of Maine ,
Standish, Maine - Monks, The Monk is a costumed mascot
[7]
University of Saint Thomas ,
Minneapolis and
Saint Paul, Minnesota -
Tommies , name refers to St. Thomas Aquinas, costumed mascot is Tommy the Tomcat.
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University ,
Minnesota - The College of Saint Benedict for women are called the Bennies representing
Benedict of Nursia , and Saint John's University for men are called the Johnnies, representing
John of Patmos .
Saints (Catholic)
Aquinas College ,
Grand Rapids, Michigan - Mascot is a St. Bernard dog
Carroll College ,
Helena, Montana - Mascot is "Halo"", a St. Bernard dog
College of St. Joseph ,
Rutland, Vermont - Fighting Saints (Closed due to financial problems in 2019)
College of St. Scholastica ,
Duluth, Minnesota - St. Bernard dog used in some fan items
Emmanuel College ,
Boston, Massachusetts - Mascot is "Halo", a St. Bernard dog
Holy Cross College ,
Notre Dame, Indiana - Mascot is "Basil", a St. Bernard dog
Marymount University ,
Arlington, Virginia - mascot is "Bernie" the Dog
Maryville University ,
Town and Country, Missouri -
Maryville Saints , mascot "Louis" the St. Bernard
Mercyhurst North East ,
North East, Pennsylvania
Our Lady of the Lake University ,
San Antonio, Texas - Logos include halos and angel wings.
[8]
Saint Martin's University ,
Lacey, Washington -
Saint Martin's Saints , logo is a knight's helmet
Siena College ,
Loudonville, New York -
Siena Saints , mascot Bernie "Saint" Bernard
Siena Heights University ,
Adrian, Michigan - mascot is "Halo the Husky Dog"
Thomas More College ,
Crestview Hills, Kentucky - mascot "Tommy Mo," or "Tommy Moria," a Renaissance Englishman in motley parachute pants.
Catholic K-12 schools
Archbishop Bergan High School ,
Fremont, Nebraska - Knights, School logo includes a cross
Archbishop Williams High School ,
Braintree, Massachusetts – Bishops
Bishop England High School ,
Charleston, South Carolina - Battling Bishops
Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey and High School ,
Elkhorn, Nebraska - Knights, School logo is a Benedictine cross
Sacred Heart Academy ,
Louisville, Kentucky - Valkyries
St. Bernard's High School ,
Fitchburg, Massachusetts – Bernardians
St. Pius X High School ,
Albuquerque, New Mexico - Sartans is a reference to the school's namesake.
Shanley High School ,
Fargo, North Dakota - Deacons
Thomas More Prep-Marian ,
Hays, Kansas - Monarchs, Logo includes a cross
Crusaders (Catholic)
Bishop Fenwick High School ,
Peabody, Massachusetts
Brother Martin High School ,
New Orleans ,
Louisiana
Cathedral High School ,
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Central Catholic High School ,
Grand Island, Nebraska
Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School ,
Wichita, Kansas
Lowell Catholic ,
Lowell, Massachusetts
Marian High School ,
Omaha, Nebraska
Catholic Memorial High School ,
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Bishop Kenny High School ,
Jacksonville, Florida
Bergen Catholic High School ,
Oradell, New Jersey
Friars
Archbishop Curley High School ,
Baltimore, Maryland
Austin Catholic Preparatory School ,
Detroit, Michigan (Closed 1978)
Bishop Lynch High School ,
Dallas, Texas
Fenwick High School ,
Oak Park, Illinois
Malvern Preparatory School ,
Malvern, Pennsylvania
Monsignor Bonner High School ,
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
St. Anthony High School ,
Jersey City, New Jersey
St. Anthony High School ,
South Huntington, New York
Servite High School ,
Anaheim, California
Saints (Catholic K-12)
Bishop Dwenger High School ,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Canterbury School ,
New Milford, Connecticut
Central Catholic High School ,
Bloomington, Illinois
DeSales High School ,
Geneva, New York
Mormon Trail Jr./Sr. High School ,
Humeston, Iowa
Notre Dame Preparatory High School ,
Scottsdale, Arizona , mascot St. Bernard
San Juan Diego Catholic High School ,
Austin, Texas
Santa Clara High School ,
Oxnard, California
St. Anthony High School ,
Long Beach, California
St. Augustine High School ,
San Diego, California
Saint Bernard School ,
Uncasville, Connecticut
St. Bernard's High School ,
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
St. Bernard Preparatory School ,
Cullman, Alabama
Saint Dominic Academy ,
Auburn and
Lewiston, Maine
St. Louis Catholic High School ,
Lake Charles, Louisiana
St. Mary's Central High School ,
Bismarck, North Dakota
St. Mary's High School ,
Annapolis, Maryland
Saint Mary High School ,
Westfield, Massachusetts
St. Mary's School for the Deaf,
Buffalo, New York
St. Patrick's High School ,
Maysville, Kentucky
Saint Raphael Academy,
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
St. Thomas Aquinas High School ,
Overland Park, Kansas
St. Thomas Aquinas High School ,
Dover, New Hampshire
St. Vincent's Academy ,
Savannah, Georgia
Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School ,
Philadelphia ,
Pennsylvania
Saratoga Central Catholic High School ,
Saratoga Springs, New York
Seton Catholic Central ,
Binghamton, New York
Seton High School ,
Cincinnati, Ohio
Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School ,
New Philadelphia, Ohio
Xavier College Preparatory High School ,
Palm Desert, California
Xavier High School ,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Protestant colleges and universities
Earlham College ,
Richmond, Indiana -
Quakers , costumed mascot is "Big Earl"
Eureka College ,
Eureka, Illinois - Red Devils, imagery includes a devil's head and a pitchfork.
Ronald Reagan was an alumnus, playing on the football team.
Guilford College ,
Greensboro, North Carolina -
Guilford Quakers , mascot "Nathan the Quaker"
Ohio Wesleyan ,
Delaware, Ohio -
Battling Bishops was selected in 1925 as the team nickname in a contest sponsored by the journalism fraternity.
[9]
Limestone College ,
Gaffney, South Carolina -
Limestone Saints , mascot "Bernie De' Saint", as St. Bernard dog.
Meredith College ,
Raleigh, North Carolina - Avenging Angels, the undergraduate programs being for women only
Mid-American Christian University ,
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma -
Evangels , logo is a
Legionary
New Hope Christian College ,
Eugene, Oregon - Deacons (currently
intramural sports only)
North Carolina Wesleyan College ,
Rocky Mount, North Carolina - Battling Bishops
Randall University ,
Moore, Oklahoma - Saints
Wake Forest University ,
Winston-Salem, North Carolina -
Wake Forest Demon Deacons , mascot the
Demon Deacon
Name changes
Bloomfield College ,
Bloomfield, New Jersey - Deacons changed to the Bears in 2014
[10]
Elon University ,
Elon, North Carolina - originally the Fightin’ Christians, changed to the
Phoenix in 2000
Evangel University ,
Springfield, Missouri - Crusaders removed in March 2021,
[11] replaced by the Valor.
Lincoln Christian University ,
Lincoln, Illinois - Preachers (men) and Angels (women) changed to Red Lion in 2009
[12]
Valparaiso University ,
Valparaiso, Indiana -
Uhlans (1931-1942), Crusaders (1942-2021), changed to Beacons in 2021.
Protestant K-12 schools
Christian Academy of Louisville ,
Louisville, Kentucky has four campuses, two of which are Centurions (logo is a soldier with a cross on his helmet) and one is Saints
Christian Life Academy ,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Crusaders
Shannon Forest Christian School,
Greenville, South Carolina - Crusaders
University Christian School ,
Jacksonville, Florida - Fighting Christians, mascot a Christian Knight
Quakers (Protestant)
Brooklyn Friends School ,
Brooklyn, New York
Carolina Friends School ,
Durham, North Carolina
Friends Academy ,
Locust Valley, New York
Friends School of Baltimore ,
Baltimore, Maryland
Moses Brown School ,
Providence, Rhode Island
Sidwell Friends School ,
Bethesda, Maryland and
Washington, D.C.
William Penn Charter School ,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wilmington Friends School,
Wilmington, Delaware
Saints (Protestant)
All Saints’ Episcopal School,
Fort Worth, Texas
All Saints Academy,
Winter Haven, Florida - mascot is a St. Bernard dog
Baytown Christian Academy ,
Baytown, Texas
Briarcrest Christian School ,
Shelby County, Tennessee ; the school was founded as a
segregation academy in the 1970s
[13]
Calvary Academy,
Springfield, Illinois
Calvary Baptist Christian High School,
San Fernando, California
Christian Academy,
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Clarendon Hall School,
Summerton, South Carolina
Concordia Preparatory School ,
Towson, Maryland
Faith Christian Academy,
Pasadena, Texas
Faith Christian School,
Foreston, Minnesota
Faith Heritage School ,
Syracuse, New York
First Baptist Academy ,
Dallas, Texas
Greenville Christian School ,
Greenville, Mississippi - founded as a
segregation academy
Harvest Christian Academy,
Keller, Texas
Hillcrest Christian School,
Thousand Oaks, California
Lutheran High School ,
Indianapolis, Indiana - mascot "Louis", a St. Bernard
Lighthouse Christian Academy ,
Santa Monica, California
Lima Christian School ,
Lima, New York
Mountain View Christian School,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Mt. Juliet Christian Academy,
Mt. Juliet, Tennessee
North Clackamas Christian School ,
Oregon City, Oregon
Oklahoma Christian School ,
Edmond, Oklahoma
Patrician Academy,
Butler, Alabama
Philadelphia Christian High School,
Conyers, Georgia
Prentiss Christian School,
Prentiss, Mississippi
Resurrection Christian School,
Charlotte, North Carolina
St. James School, Maryland ,
Hagerstown, Maryland
St. Martin's Episcopal School ,
Metairie, Louisiana
Saint Mary's School ,
Raleigh, North Carolina
St. Paul's Episcopal School ,
Mobile, Alabama
St. Paul's Lutheran School,
Ocala, Florida
St. Paul's Lutheran High School,
Concordia, Missouri
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School ,
Alexandria, Virginia
St. Thomas' Episcopal School ,
Houston, Texas St. Paul's Episcopal School
Seattle Lutheran High School ,
Seattle, Washington
Shiloh Christian School ,
Springdale, Arkansas
St. Andrew's School
Barrington, Rhode Island
St. Andrew's Episcopal School , Ridgeland, Mississippi
St. Anne's-Belfield School ,
Charlottesville, Virginia
St. Christopher's School ,
Richmond, Virginia
St. Cloud Christian School,
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Sylva-Bay Academy,
Bay Springs, Mississippi
Trinity Episcopal Day School ,
Natchez, Mississippi
Trinity Lutheran School ,
Bend, Oregon
Trinity Preparatory School ,
Winter Park, Florida Sylva-Bay Academy
Vail Christian High School,
Edwards, Colorado
Other religions
Private non-sectarian schools
Converse University ,
Concordia, Missouri -
Valkyries
Dickinson College ,
Carlisle, Pennsylvania - Red Devils
Fairleigh Dickinson University ,
Florham Park, New Jersey - Devils
Flagler College ,
St. Augustine, Florida - Saints
St. Lawrence University ,
Canton, New York - Saints (Founded by the
Universalist Church of America , but now
non-denominational )
University of Pennsylvania ,
Philadelphia ,
Pennsylvania - The
Penn Quakers name is more historical than religious
University of the Sciences ,
Philadelphia ,
Pennsylvania - Devils, "Drake the Devil"
Public schools
Colleges and universities
Arizona State University ,
Phoenix ,
Arizona - Sun Devils, mascot Sparky the Sun Devil
California University of Pennsylvania ,
California, Pennsylvania -
Vulcans
Central Connecticut State ,
New Britain, Connecticut - Blue Devils
Duke University ,
Durham, North Carolina -
Blue Devils , derived from a French military unit in World War I.
[14]
Lurleen B. Wallace Community College ,
Andalusia ,
Greenville , and
Opp, Alabama - Saints
Mission College ,
Santa Clara, California - Saints
Mt. Hood Community College ,
Gresham, Oregon - Saints, St. Bernard mascot
North Country Community College ,
Saranac Lake, New York - Saints, St. Bernard mascot
Northwestern State University of Louisiana ,
Natchitoches, Louisiana - Demons, mascot
Vic the Demon .
San Diego Mesa College ,
San Diego ,
California - Olympians
Santa Fe College ,
Gainesville, Florida - Saints, St. Bernard mascot
Seward County Community College ,
Liberal, Kansas - Saints, mascot "Louie the Saint", crusader imagery
Shawnee Community College ,
Ullin, Illinois - Saints, St. Bernard mascot
Secondary schools
Crusaders
Deacons
Demons/Devils
Atkins High School ,
Atkins, Arkansas - Red Devils
[16]
Batavia High School ,
Batavia, New York - Blue Devils
Brockport High School ,
Brockport, New York - Blue Devils
Brunswick High School (Brunswick, Ohio) ,
Brunswick, Ohio - Blue Devils
Decatur Community High School,
Oberlin, Kansas - Red Devils
Española Valley High School ,
Española, New Mexico - Sundevils
Franklin Central School,
Franklin, Delaware County, New York - Purple Devils
Liberty High School,
Liberty, South Carolina - Red Devils
Kenmore West Senior High School ,
Kenmore, New York - Blue Devils
Perkins-Tryon High School,
Perkins, Oklahoma - Demons
Plattsmouth High School,
Plattsmouth, Nebraska - Blue Devils
Port Barre High School,
Port Barre, Louisiana - Red Devils
Rancocas Valley Regional High School ,
Mount Holly, New Jersey - Red Devils
Sedan, Kansas - Blue Devils
Victor Senior High School ,
Victor, New York - Blue Devils
Washington High School ,
Washington, Iowa - Demons
Wayne High School,
Wayne, Nebraska - Blue Devils
[17]
Wynot Public Schools,
Wynot, Nebraska - Blue Devils
[18]
Quakers
Eastern High School ,
Lansing, Michigan
Franklin High School ,
Portland, Oregon - Changed from Quakers to Lightning in 2019
[19]
Franklin High School ,
Seattle, Washington
Horace Greeley High School ,
Chappaqua, New York
Millville Area Junior Senior High School ,
Columbia County, Pennsylvania
Moorestown High School ,
Moorestown, New Jersey
New Philadelphia High School ,
New Philadelphia, Ohio
Orchard Park High School ,
Orchard Park, New York
Plainfield High School ,
Plainfield, Indiana
Quaker Valley High School ,
Leetsdale, Pennsylvania
Salem Junior/Senior High School ,
Salem, Ohio
Saints
Butterfield-Odin Public School,
Butterfield, Minnesota
Calhoun County High School ,
St. Matthews, South Carolina
Cedar Grove High School ,
Ellenwood, Georgia
Churchville-Chili High School ,
Churchville, New York
Delta High School ,
Clarksburg, California
Interlake High School ,
Bellevue, Washington
Jefferson High School ,
Edgewater, Colorado
La Salle High School,
St. Ignace, Michigan
Locke High School ,
Los Angeles, California
Melcher-Dallas High School ,
Melcher-Dallas, Iowa
St. Ansgar High School ,
St. Ansgar, Iowa
St. Charles High School ,
St. Charles, Minnesota
St. Clair High School ,
East China Township, Michigan
St. Croix Falls High School ,
St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
St. Helena High School ,
St. Helena, California
St. James High School,
St. James, Minnesota
St. Michaels Middle/High School ,
St. Michaels, Maryland
St. Paul High School ,
St. Paul, Arkansas
Saint Peter High School,
Saint Peter, Minnesota
Saint Regis Falls Central School ,
Saint Regis Falls, New York
San Dimas High School ,
San Dimas, California
Sandalwood High School ,
Jacksonville, Florida
Santa Ana High School ,
Santa Ana, California
Santa Fe South High School,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - mascot St. Bernard
Santa Maria High School ,
Santa Maria, California
Santa Teresa High School ,
San Jose, California
Selma High School ,
Selma, Alabama
Southern Wayne High School ,
Dudley, North Carolina
Thornwell Charter School,
Clinton, South Carolina
West Feliciana High School ,
St. Francisville, Louisiana
Valkyries
Schools where the boy's teams are Vikings and the girl's teams are Valkyries, mythical figures in
Norse mythology
Professional sports teams and franchises
Fort Myers Miracle,
Minor League Baseball - became the
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in 2019
[20]
Los Angeles Angels ,
Major League Baseball - Named after the city of
Los Angeles
New Jersey Devils ,
National Hockey League
New Orleans Saints ,
National Football League - The franchise was named "the Saints" by popular vote on November 1, 1966—All Saint's Day.
[21] The name refers to the popular New Orleans gospel / jazz tune "
When the Saints Go Marching In ".
Sacramento Kings ,
National Basketball Association - Mascot is
Slamson the Lion , an allusion to the Old Testament figure Samson.
San Antonio Missions ,
Minor League Baseball
[22]
San Diego Padres ,
Major League Baseball - refers to the
Franciscan friars who founded San Diego
Stockton Thunder ,
ECHL - uses the Norse god
Thor as mascot
Crusader mascot controversy
Many Catholic, and some Protestant schools adopted the Crusader for their teams. The
University of the Incarnate Word decided in 2004 that its Crusader mascot was inappropriate for its multicultural mission.
[23] Corlis McGee, president of
Eastern Nazarene College , said, "There's a growing awareness that the connotation of the word has changed, and the Crusader no longer represents the positive message of Christian love we want to share with the world."
Other universities have decided to keep the mascot as a way to honor their histories and constantly remind students to "communicate our desire to bring the good news and cross into every situation we encountered."
[24] The remaining college-level Crusaders are
Belmont Abbey College (
Belmont, North Carolina ),
Christendom College (
Front Royal, Virginia ),
College of the Holy Cross (
Worcester, Massachusetts ),
[25]
[26]
Madonna University (
Livonia, Michigan ), and
North Greenville University (
Tigerville, South Carolina ) who changed their mascot from the Mounties to the Crusaders in 2017.
[27]
[28]
See also
References
^ Delaney, Tim; Madigan, Tim (February 11, 2009).
The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction . McFarland (published 2009). p. 211.
ISBN
9780786453153 . Retrieved October 28, 2014 . The manner in which fans defend their right to hold on to and embrace their cherished symbols of the team reflects a type of totemism. [...] Team logos and mascots take on this totem quality for devout fans. It seems odd that people in the 21st century embrace totems, or symbols, with the same level of enthusiasm as primitive, pagan worshippers. However, sports often bring out the primitive inner being of people - including a passionate devotion to a belief or symbol.
^ Hirshon, Nicholas (2020). "Social Identity Theory in Sports Fandom Research". In Dunn, Robert Andrew (ed.). Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Media Fandom . Advances in Religious and Cultural Studies.
doi :
10.4018/978-1-7998-3323-9 .
ISBN
9781799833239 .
S2CID
241619027 . This chapter explores how media-attentive sports fans internalize victory and externalize defeat by charting the simultaneous developments in the 1970s of social identity theory, advanced by European social psychologists...which are rooted in a landmark study on college students wearing school-identifying apparel after the university football team won. The chapter also examines how social identity has served and can continue to be utilized as the theoretical backbone for research on mass-mediated sports fandom.
^ Lee, Yueh-Ting; McCauley, Clark; Jussim, Lee (2013).
"Stereotypes as Valid Categories of Knowledge and Human Perceptions of Group Differences" . Social and Personality Psychology Compass . 7 (7): 470–486.
doi :
10.1111/spc3.12039 .
ISSN
1751-9004 . Retrieved October 19, 2021 .
^ End, Christian M.; Kretschmar, Jeff M.; Dietz-Uhler, Beth (2004).
"College Students' Perceptions of Sports Fandom as a Social Status Determinant" . International Sports Journal . 8 (1): 114–123.
ISSN
1094-0480 .
ProQuest
219889488 . Retrieved October 20, 2021 .
^
"Most popular team names (active only)" . MascotDB . Retrieved October 19, 2021 .
^
"How did DePaul get a demon as a mascot?" . DePaul University Libraries . July 25, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2021 .
^
"Home of the Monks" . GoMonks.com . Retrieved October 19, 2021 .
^
"OLLU Saints Gear" . Retrieved October 19, 2021 .
^
"Why Battling Bishops?" . Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops . Retrieved October 19, 2021 .
^ Mees, Andrew (August 8, 2014).
"College unveils new athletics logo" . Bloomfield College. Retrieved October 11, 2021 .
^ Redden, Elizabeth (March 31, 2021).
"Evangel Drops Crusader Mascot" .
Inside Higher Ed . Retrieved April 12, 2021 .
^
"Lincoln Christian University introduces new athletic mascot -- the Red Lions" . Lincoln Daily News . October 1, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2021 .
^
Kravitz, Mark R ; Mutter, Carol A (1974).
"Desegregation of Private Schools: Section 1981 as an Alternative to State Action" . Georgetown Law Journal . 62 : 1365, note 15.
ISSN
0016-8092 . Retrieved May 1, 2018 . The term 'segregation academy' in the South has come to mean an institution which is one of 'a system of private schools operated on a racially segregated basis as an alternative available to white students seeking to avoid desegregated public schools.'
Coffey v. State Educ. Fin. Comm'n , 296 F. Supp. 1389, 1392 (S.D. Miss. 1969).
"The quality of instruction, teachers, and physical plant varies widely among such schools. Some private white schools are well-equipped and boast an excellent staff. For example, the Briarcrest Baptist School System, Inc., in Memphis, Tennessee, offers all the standard academic subjects in addition to religious training. All of Briarcrest's staff are certified by the state, and 20 hold master's degrees. Wall Street Journal, supra note 14, at 1, col. 4. However, many southern private schools are woefully inadequate.
^
"The Story of the Blue Devil" . Go Duke . Retrieved October 12, 2021 .
^
"Wellington High School" . Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
https://ahs.atkinsschools.org/
^
"Wayne Schools" . Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
"Wynot Public Schools" . Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
"Franklin High School's new mascot will be Lightning after Board approves selection" . PPS. June 12, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019 .
^ Sodergren, Andrew (December 3, 2019).
"Fort Myers Miracle announce name change to Mighty Mussels" . The News-Press . Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^ Shellnutt, Kate (February 4, 2010).
"Rooting for religion: The Saints and other teams with spiritual mascots - Believe It or Not" . Houston Chronicle . Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
^
"The Official Site of Minor League Baseball | MiLB.com Homepage" . Minor League Baseball. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
^
"University of the Incarnate Word" . OSAU . Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^ Eskridge, Larry (June 12, 2000).
"Higher Education: Eagles, Crusaders, and Trolls—Oh My!" . Christianity Today . Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
^
"The Official Site of the Holy Cross Crusaders" . GoHolyCross.com . Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
^
"Crusader Moniker and Mascot" . College of the Holy Cross.
^ Fitzpatrick, Frank (September 28, 2017).
"A new college crusade aims at controversial mascots" . The Philadelphia Inquirer .
^
"Home | Official Athletic Site of the North Greenville University Crusaders" . Ngcrusaders.com . February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
^
"The Making of a Mascot" . Alvernia University . January 1, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^ Herreraom, Hayden (September 16, 2020).
"Still the Beacons: Bushnell athletics gets used to not saying 'NCU' " . KVAL. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^ Hendrix, Sheridan (September 30, 2021).
"Goodbye crusaders, hello comets! Capital University announces new mascot" . The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
"Clarke Crusaders to become Clarke Pride" . Clarke Pride . February 2, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
"Eastern Nazarene drops Crusader mascot" . Patriot Ledger . May 14, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
"Crusaders No More: What Arab Christians and Muslims Think of Mascot Changes" . Christianity Today . September 9, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
"NNU is excited to announce new university mascot" . Northwest Nazarene University . October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
"Crusader Mascot Retired for New Look" . News Wise . July 2, 2003. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^ Krize, Nikki (October 27, 2015).
"Susquehanna University Drops 'Crusader' from Nickname" . WNEP. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^
"Valparaiso University Unveils New Nickname" . Valpo Athletics . August 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
^ Rivenburg, Roy (October 10, 2000).
"Wheaton's Inoffensive Mascot Comes From Above" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 10, 2021 .
External links