Cal State Long Beach unveiled its new mascot Monday, Elbee the shark. The new mascot comes as the next step in a long and somewhat tortured saga for the school, which retired its Prospector Pete mascot more than a year ago.<\/p>\n
Now, before we get into the response to Elbee, a few words to try and settle everyone down. Understand this: the university, CSULB, has adopted a new mascot. The university\u2019s athletic department, Long Beach State, has not. LBSU athletic director Andy Fee has been adamant about the fact that the school\u2019s sports teams, while no longer going by \u201cthe 49ers,\u201d will not be going by the Sharks. They\u2019ll continue to be called \u201cBeach\u201d as they have over the last few years, with the exception of their baseball team, which will remain the “Dirtbags.”<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve written (and written and written) about this subject, but with each subsequent unveiling, a new group of people find out about this long, strange trip. It\u2019s like finding a show you like on Netflix right after the fifth season comes out, leaving you with four seasons of backstory to catch up with.<\/p>\n
Here are the facts about the fictional shark, straight from the university\u2019s press release:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is only one Elbee and does not have a spouse nor family members. Elbee transcends gender and uses the pronoun \u201cthey\/them.\u201d\u00a0 Elbee is nonverbal.\u201d<\/p>\n
OK, so now to the responses we promised you. We’re positive people, so let\u2019s just say that the responses were not universally positive. A few people did comment that they liked the change, liked Elbee when we went on Twitter and asked for opinions. Some people correctly noted that the Shark is very buff. Others appreciated that the Shark is non-binary and uses gender-neutral pronouns.<\/p>\n
For the most part, though, even compliments came with a critical side. Take Kyle Prager saying he appreciated the \u201cLB\u201d reference in the name \u201cElbee,\u201d just after saying he thought the shark might be the worst mascot in the NCAA.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a few comments from Long Beach State fans:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/allyssag\/status\/1295444617496690689?s=20<\/p>\n
\nThis might be the worst mascot in the #NCAA<\/a>. Looks like an AYSO mascot. On the plus side, I can appreciate the effort in naming #LB<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/3cfjv5Lzmw<\/a><\/p>\n
— Kyle T. Prager (@KyleTPrager) August 18, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n