The Chicago Bulls’ season ended last night, losing in five games to the defending champion Miami Heat.
It was a rough year for the Bulls, who had to wait patiently through Derrick Rose’s recovery only to have him sit out the whole season. They limped through the playoffs, grinding out a gritty series win against the Brooklyn Nets only to come up short to the Heat.
But after all that they can take some consolation in the fact that they have the best mascot in all of American sports!
Yes, Benny the Bull sets the bar when it comes to representing his team.
Benny’s likeability with kids and his ability to get the crowd going has him at the top of Forbes’ list of mascots. What’s most impressive is that Benny is actually the only NBA mascot to crack the top 10. Forbes must think he is in a class by himself.
“The work ethic and the athleticism he displays during game breaks at the United Center have paid off: Benny stands as this year’s most popular sports mascot. That’s the word from The Marketing Arm’s Davie Brown Index, which is based on a survey of public perception of celebrities and their influence on brands. For mascots, the DBI measures popularity by the following criteria: Awareness, likeability, attention-getting, photo-friendliness, interaction and fun. Fans were also asked if a given mascot happened to be his ‘absolute favorite’ or ‘one of my favorites.’”
The end of the Bulls’ season doesn’t mean time off for Benny the Bull. The Chicago mascot does 250 events a year and continues the hard work even when his team isn’t playing.
If you ever get to go and see a Bulls game at the United Center, consider yourself lucky. Aside from getting to see a basketball game, you are also getting the best mascot entertainment that money can buy.
