Okay, I've got two high school mascot-related links to get us started with mascot week. The first is an op-ed piece written by a high school mascot, who unsuprisingly argues the pro-mascot position: Unfortunately, some colleges have been forced to cut their mascot programs while cheerleaders remain intact. Some say cheerleaders are enough to pump up the crowd but they aren’t as comical and that takes away from the experience. Mascots dissipate tension.

The second article was not written by a mascot, but whatever the author's occupation, she sure wrote the fuck out of it: A young man wearing leather boots, a flowing cape, blue cargo pants, musketeer hat and a huge belt wields an intimidating sword while yelling at a crowd of onlookers. Typically, a scene like this is not associated with school spirit ... He contributes the "cavalier" attitude to a simple combination of qualities."You need to stand out in a crowd, not be afraid to yell at the top of your lungs, not be afraid to try stupid stuff to make someone in the crowd happy and have caffeine."