San Francisco Giants' Lou Seal Named One of MLB's Least Popular Mascots

The San Francisco Giants mascot was recently named to the Mascot Hall of Fame, but is still one of the least popular in MLB.

Dylan Sanders | Aug 21, 2024

Jun 11, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants mascot Lou Seal before the game against the Houston Astros at Oracle Park. / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

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San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants mascot was recently awarded a huge honor, but still might not be that popular.

A study by casino.ca surveyed 2,000 MLB fans about their feelings towards mascots. Questions were on topics such as their popularity, whether they were scary, why they liked them and more.

Lou Seal, the Giants' unique animal mascot, ranked all the way down at No. 16 out of 26 total mascots. It was tied with Rosie Red of the Cincinnati Reds and with other ties only six other mascots ranked below those two.

The most popular mascot was the Phillie Phanatic of the Philadelphia Phillies, while Stomper of the Oakland Athletics came in last by a mile.

Things got even worse for Seal when put up against mascots from all other sports, falling all the way down to No. 51.

Despite the low ranking. It's been an important year for the seal, recently being named to the Mascot Hall of Fame.

"Lou Seal, the cheerful and endearing mascot of the San Francisco, has been a staple at Oracle Park since 1997," said the Hall of Fame. "With his signature sunglasses and warm personality, Lou Seal has delighted fans of all ages for over 2000 consecutive games. Whether he’s entertaining the crowd with his dance moves or participating in community events, Lou Seal embodies the heart and soul of Giants baseball."

One of Lou Seal's most iconic moments came during an incredible Make-A-Wish fulfillment when BatKid saved the mascot from the grasp of famous Batman villians Riddler and the Penguin.

Given the cartoonish and friendly appearance of the seal, it's also not surprising that he was voted one of the least scary/intimidating mascots in the league.

The study from casino.ca came to the conclusion that mascots are good for the game, and moments like that show exactly why.

An astonishing 90% of fans in the survey stated that mascots added to their experience rather than detracting from it.

The large majority voted that the entertainment factor was the best thing about them, while the next most popular response was that they boost team morale.

Around 9% of voters said that they found mascots cute, which is the vibe that Lou Seal has tried to achieve.

Even if he may not be the most popular in all of baseball, San Francisco's seal will be trying to birghten Giants fan's days for the forseeable future.

Published Aug 21, 2024

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders