Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Phillie Phanatic and other mascots continue to have fun, even without fans in ballparks
The Phillie Phanatic is a bright green mascot for the Philadelphia Phillies. But now fans are not coming in-person to baseball games. How does the Phanatic amp up people who are watching from home?
By Jonathan Bastian • • 10m ListenThe Phillie Phanatic is a bright green mascot for the Philadelphia Phillies. But now fans are not coming in-person to baseball games. How does the Phanatic amp up people who are watching from home? KCRW asks Tom Burgoyne, whose official job title is “best friend of the Phillie Phanatic.” He’s been donning bright green fur, red pinstripes, and stirrups since 1989.
Phillie Phanatic has no patience for Marlins fan cutout. pic.twitter.com/3LFemwRDtl — handlit33 (@handlit33)
“He [the Phanatic] is representing all the fans. He’s the only live fan allowed in the ballpark. So he really feels a responsibility to represent. He’s out there, he’s cheering, he’s clapping, he’s still dancing. He’s trying to have some fun with the umpires from a distance, not from the field, but from the stands. He’s still doing his thing. He just misses the fans an awful lot,” says Burgoyne.
