New owners. A new slogan. A new mascot would be nice, too.
Failing that, Id settle for no mascot at all.
Pat Croce did a lot of good things for the Sixers. He was a sort of human defibrillator, charging a nearly-dead franchise with an unending and much-needed supply of energy at a critical moment. The way he handled Allen Iverson and Larry Brown, his connection with the city, his keen understanding of marketingall to the good.
But allowing Hip-Hop's creation? Not so good.
Even in the late 90s, when baggy jeans and over-sized jerseys and the like were the standard youth uniform, Hip-Hop was a gross, embarrassing, obvious attempt to appeal to 20-somethings. Even worse, they made the mascot a bunnybecause, you know, little kids like bunnies. That way everyone would win. Or not.
Watching the Hip-Hop monster trampoline all over the arena while the horrified villagers looked on was like a far-more earnest and less-funny version of The Itchy & Scratchy Show. Too bad the Sixers didnt name the mascot Poochie.
Back when it was createdand for, oh, the first decade or so thereafterHip-Hop was a transparent and lame marketing ploy. Now its lame and stale, like the mascot version of planking.
NBA
When mascots such as this and this and even this somehow seem better by comparison, you know its past time to get rid of the Bunny. Back to the late-'90s briar patch from whence he came.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com