Friendly Encounters is a weekly series in which I feature friends who have met celebrities. Mascot Week starts with a Special Friendly Encounters edition.
Back in my day, the DePaul mascot was Billy Blue Demon. In 1999, Billy was replaced by DiBS, which stands for Demon in a Blue Suit.
My passion for mascots is well known, but this one falls very flat. Could they have picked a dumber name?
I understand they wanted to update their mascot. Their goal was to show a fiercer mascot to go along with the new direction of the school. Understandably, they wouldn't abandon the blue demon look. Why didn't they just update the look, like many other institutions have done. "DiBS" represents toughness? I'd like to hear a good explanation of how that all came to be and why nobody stopped the insanity.
If they wanted to improve their image or to go in the new direction, maybe they should have actually made their basketball team better. As a major school in a world class city, there is no excuse for the mediocrity of DePaul's basketball program.
The Demons have moved into their beautiful new Wintrust Arena, just south of downtown. The proximity should improve the student attendance, but a better product would be the best solution.
With all of that being as is, I still like seeing any mascot, including DiBS. There's no point in holding a grudge against the mascot.
My dear friend Jodie knows of my interest in mascots and took a picture with DiBS last year while at an event with her kids. To Jodie, her kids and most of the population, a mascot is a mascot. I didn't feel the need to go into my rant about the history of the Blue Demon.
DIBS and Jodie Schaefer in Chicago, IL-February 2017.
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