Courtney Layton and Gambling.com
49 minutes ago
Sir Purr waves a flag during the Carolina Panthers game against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on November 17, 2016 (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
GREENVILLE, NC (WNCT) — For some people, mascots are their favorite part of a sporting event.
The influence of mascots on their team’s marketing strategy and social media posts has grown astronomically over the past three years. Blooper, the Atlanta Braves mascot, and Sir Purr, the Carolina Panthers mascot, have both been used via social media in ways that appeal to their fans.
Their two mascots rank in the top 10 most followed on social media, according to a report by Gambling.com. Blooper has more Twitter followers than any of the top 10 (see chart below).
While most sports teams have an active mascot, each mascot’s methods of interacting with its fan base and marketing strategies differ. Social media plays a huge role in this.
Gambling.com researched the 10 most-followed sports mascots across all NBA, NFL and MLB teams, using their influence online. They used four different social media platforms to collect this information, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok followings.
