Why Do the New York Yankees Not Have a Mascot?

For any sports team, their mascot represents its values, its culture, and holds a strong place in the hearts of its fans. From a person, animal, or even an object, a mascot can be anything that represents the team’s spirit. Undoubtedly, their appearance is even more important during the home games. However, when it comes to MLB giants New York Yankees, they surprisingly don’t have a mascot for their team. And the reason behind this is even more complicated.

Many fans believe that a good mascot also brings luck to the team. During the live games, apart from players, these mascots entertain the fans in the stadium, are are also used as a marketing tool for their merchandise. 

Did the Yankees ever have a mascot?

Well, the Yankees are not the only team in MLB to not have a mascot. Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels are two other teams who don’t have a mascot either. But, as per Sports Casting, the Yankees did have a mascot for a very short period, between the 1979 and 1981 seasons. 

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After realizing the value of some popular mascots like Mr. Met, the Phillie Phanatic, and the San Diego Chicken, George Steinbrenner (Yankees’ owner) added a mascot named Dandy to the pinstripes. It was a large pinstriped bird with a huge mustache that looked pretty much similar to the former Yankee catcher, Thurman Munson. The Yankees had hired Dandy on a three-year deal.

What happened to Dandy?

In Dandy’s first appearance, the Yankees won over the Seattle Mariners and there were also other occasions when Dandy entertained the fans. But everything changed when Yankees legend, Thurman Munson, lost his life tragically, in a plane crash, in the same year, 1979. Following that, the Yankees never allowed their mascot to go among the fans. They kept him hidden and far from the cameras. And once the three-year contract expired, it was all over for both the Yankees and Dandy.

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Since then, the Yankees have never hired or created a mascot for their team.