Social Media and the Rise of “Fanscots”

First off – “What is a Fanscot?” you are asking…

In an effort to coin a term, I am inventing the word FANSCOT. A Fanscot is a sports fan who has also become a mascot. Famous fans have been around for decades – people like Morganna the Kissing Bandit, The FanMan or Rainbow Wig Guy, but these fans were not really mascots. They were fans (per say) but not really tied to a particular team.

Every arena or stadium has had their share of the “Superfan“, which is basically an individual who attends the event (often, all of them) dressed in a crazy way, with lights, signs, horns – you name it…

Now, there is a new breed of fan, the Fanscot. These Fanscots are really like an un-official mascot. A fan who takes it to the next level and creates a character and attends the game as a character. For example:

1. The Capstronaut of the Washington Capitals
   
2. The Green Men of the Vancouver Canucks

In the background, these fans are well enjoyed by all during the games but now have a life of their own on Social Media platforms. Capstronaut has over 600 fans of his own on Facebook, and the Green Men currently have over 27,000 (more than some NHL teams themselves).

What’s the point? Look at the power social media can have – anyone can leverage these tools and create a buzz. Imagine what can happen when Marketing embraces social media…

Know of another Fanscot? Let me know!

(Thanks to @trevorturnbull for the inspiration for this post!)