The players and coaches tend to get the spotlight during NFL games, but we are here to shine the light on an another all-important member of the team: the mascot. These furry creatures deserve the fame too, they pump up the crowd, they cheer on the team and they interact with fans.
On Feb. 13, the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams will compete in Super Bowl LVI and their respective mascots will be right there with them.
Here is a look at the history of both mascots:
Rampage, the Rams mascot
Rampage, the Rams mascot, is new to Los Angeles, with the Rams moving from St. Louis in 2016. Rampage has been around since July 2010 and wears a Rams No. 1 jersey as he cheers on the team.
He even has his own Twitter account.
It’s officially #SuperBowl week! 🏟 #RamsHouse #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/vhgZhVlbqB
— Rampage (@RampageNFL) February 7, 2022
This is Rampage's second Super Bowl experience with the Rams in Los Angeles. The Rams took on the Patriots in 2018, but lost 13-3, not giving Rampage much to cheer about that Sunday.
Before 2010, through their three cities, the team only had one other mascot. The furry creature named Ramster had an interesting look and he was not longer at games after 1996. The fans had a hand in naming the new mascot, and "Rampage" was the winner from an online contest with over 1,000 options to name the Ram. Other top options were Archie, Ramsey, Rammer, and Rush.
The Rams did end up having a "Ramsey" on the team, but it's a player (cornerback Jalen Ramsey), not the mascot.
The name was introduced at the St. Louis Zoo and Chris Shaffer, the person who submitted the name originally, got a suite at a Rams game, a Rams jersey and a two hundred dollar gift card to the Rams online store.
Rampage's has added to his resume since his debut, as a six-time Pro Bowl Mascot, a three-time NFC West champion and a two-time NFC Champion.
Rampage will now do something only one other mascot has done: attend a Super Bowl in his own stadium. The Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals in SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles California on Feb. 13. Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played and won a Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.
Who Dey, the Bengals Mascot
The Cincinnati Bengals mascot goes by the team slogan "Who Dey," and is a Bengal tiger that wears a Cincinnati No. 1 jersey. The "Who Dey" named comes from the team's chant that goes back decades. Fans yell, "Who Dey think gonna beat them Bengals? Nobody!!"
The fans began chanting Who Dey during the Super Bowl run in 1981 -- the last time they qualified for the big game. There is NFL drama over whether the Bengals stole the chant from the New Orleans' Saints chant "Who Dat." Despite whether they were first or not, the "Who Dey" chant stuck so much that even their mascot got the name.
The Bengals choosing a Bengal as their mascot is about as obvious as it gets, but it stems from the team name that honors a former Cincinnati football team.
Former coach of the Cleveland Browns, Paul Brown, got the go-ahead to create a team in Cincinnati in 1967. He wanted to pay homage to the football team that previously played in Cincinnati, the Bengals, who stopped playing for the final time when the AFL collapsed after the 1941 season.
The mascot has a sense of humor and gifted quarterback Joe Burrow a hilarious Christmas gift earlier in the season.
After Burrow said, "We've been lucky as far as injuries and COVID. We're doing a great job with our COVID protocols. Fortunately, there's not a ton to do in Cincinnati so it's not ... Nobody is going out to clubs and bars and getting COVID every weekend ... " the furry creature gave him a book of things to do in Cincinnati.
Sorry, @cj_uzomah pic.twitter.com/9QmhvOoE6y
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 24, 2021
"Who Dey" has the potential to be close to the action when the Bengals win their first Super Bowl. The Bengals will take on the Los Angeles Rams in SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.
