One word! NO!
To add a mascot to Michigan is akin to changing our identity. It's like changing the winged helmet, or changing the lyrics to The Victors. Yes, little changes are good. The pregame show performed by the MMB over the years has changed. The uniforms have changed. We once had an unofficial mascot (Willy the Wolverine or some such nonsense). Certain traditions are added and they stick. Others fall away. We still sing Varsity as one of our fight songs, but it has been surpassed by the Victors. We added the winged helmet. We added Let's Go Blue, Blues Brothers, and other great songs. Traditions changed over time. However, we tried the Mascot. It failed.
David Brandon wants to bring kids to see the mascot. Bull! I was a kid who loved Michigan football. Not for a mascot (there wasn't one), but for the band, the game, the players, all the things that make Michigan great. We don't need a mascot to bring in kids. We just need to be great.
The real issue is the marketing. The mascot would be sold at appearances, as plush toys, and on t-shirts. It's all a money grab. Say no to mascots in A^2. Our tradition is that we don't need one. We actively ridicule mascots such as Sparty when they come to the Big House. Why would we want them to ridicule a mascot that looks like a cute and cuddly badger. A wolverine is not cute, nor is it cuddly. It will rip out your lungs.
Leave the buffoons to little sister and lesser schools. At Michigan we have the team, the band, and the fans.
Byron Siwelnor
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