In this week's edition of mascots behaving badly, we have Old Dominion University:
First Vanderbilt's mascot gives a fan a bloody nose, and now a player nearly gets injured by a mascot's carelessness. It's a bit of a disturbing trend, and eventually it's going to end up with a lawsuit, and then mascots will be banned for good. Please, try to be careful and use common sense.
How Old Dominion's Mascot Delayed Monday's CAA title game [Yahoo! Sports]
Before tipoff of Monday night's Colonial Athletic Association title game between Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth, Monarchs mascot "Big Blue" did a LeBron-esque powder toss underneath one of the baskets. Unfortunately, the baby powder on the court created a slick enough surface that referees stopped play after VCU's Ed Nixon slipped on a layup attempt in the opening two minutes and careened into a baseline sign board.
Everyone from ball boys to suit-and-tie-clad tournament officials spent nearly 10 minutes wiping that portion of the floor with mops and hand towels. Only after referees and players from both teams tested the floor did play finally resume.
VCU coach Shaka Smart was still incensed after his team's 70-65 loss by the "five-point swing" he believed Nixon's botched layup caused. Since referees didn't stop play until after the sequence was over, Old Dominion capitalized on Nixon's fall with a transition 3-pointer from guard Ben Finney.Not sure why the ODU mascot felt the need to imitate LeBron James - was he planning on changing a diaper?
First Vanderbilt's mascot gives a fan a bloody nose, and now a player nearly gets injured by a mascot's carelessness. It's a bit of a disturbing trend, and eventually it's going to end up with a lawsuit, and then mascots will be banned for good. Please, try to be careful and use common sense.
How Old Dominion's Mascot Delayed Monday's CAA title game [Yahoo! Sports]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
