Sports Teams' Mascots Could be Wildlife Conservation Opportunity

Researchers argue that the emotional pull of teams could become a force in endangered species conservation.

UK's Premier League logo is a good example

“Sport organizations mobilize huge global audiences, and wildlife is at the heart of many of their identities,” said Ugo Arbieu, an ecologist and postdoctoral researcher at Paris-Saclay University in France. “This emotional connection between fans and the animals that represent their teams could be harnessed to support conservation at scale.”

To investigate how far such campaigns might reach, Arbieu and a group of scientists from Europe, Canada, Australia and the U.S. set out to discover just how much wildlife intersects with sports teams, and which creatures are represented. The result was a menagerie worthy of Noah’s ark.

All told, the researchers counted 727 wildlife-inspired names and mascots representing a quarter of all the teams in professional leagues for 10 major team sports in 50 wealthy countries around the world. As you may expect, the majority of animals were predators. The most popular mascots, in order, were the lion, tiger, wolf, panther, grizzly bear, cougar, fox, lynx, African and Asian elephants and bald eagle. But it wasn’t all mammals and birds of prey. Teams were represented by 161 species or groups of species including spiders, insects, sharks, fish, amphibians and, yes, cephalopods (squids and octopuses).

The point is that many of these creatures could use more attention, when it comes to conservation. A disproportionate number are considered either vulnerable or endangered and have declining populations, the scientists found. “Lions and tigers embody values like strength and courage, but in the wild many of these species are declining,” said co-author Franck Courchamp at Paris-Saclay University. “Teams have a unique opportunity - and perhaps a responsibility - to help protect the biodiversity behind these emblems.”

But how? Another group of scientists have come up with what seems to be a good idea: making companies and other entities in wealthy countries pay a royalty dedicated to conservation for the use of endangered species images. How about, for example, the lion in the logo of the astonishingly wealthy English soccer’s Premier League? It's a fabulous idea, and deserves to be discussed in sporting corridors and board rooms. An interesting precedent is Sounds Right, whereby artists who use natural sounds in their recordings can choose to list 'Nature' as a featured artist - and a share of their profits will be distributed to environmental causes.

Want to see which pro teams around the world are using animal mascots? The authors have created a website with an interactive map overlaid with logos for all the teams that fall into what they are calling “The Wild League.”

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