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Boomer’s a Jerk

March 8, 2007

Professional sports mascots. They thrill with their springboard dunks, amuse with their cumbersome yet jolly appearances, and delight with their clever and lighthearted antics. Yes, they’re all fun and games . . . until the lawsuits come. The Indiana Pacers mascot, lovingly referred to as ‘Boomer’, is named in a lawsuit stemming from a March 11, 2005 game against the Golden State Warriors. Apparently Boomer got physical with Pacers fan Nathaniel Jackson, who was asked to partake in a free-throw shooting contest during a timeout when the alleged assault took place.
Boomer Takes a Shit in Public

Jackson, who is in his mid-20s, initially declined, saying he was recovering from back surgery but was assured that “there would be no reason for concern or injury,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed March 2 in Marion Superior Court.

After taking part in the free-throw contest, the lawsuit states that Jackson began to leave the basketball court but was tackled from behind by the team’s mascot, “Boomer,” a 6-foot-tall blue cat with gold whiskers.

The employee who knew about Jackson’s back surgery immediately told the mascot about the surgery, and Boomer responded by kicking at Jackson’s legs, the lawsuit alleges.

Boomer responded by kicking at Jackson’s legs? What an asshole. I think we can learn a lesson from all of this. The next time you are confronted by an overzealous mascot, don’t let it use peer pressure to convince you to participate in anything you’re not comfortable doing. And don’t let its dopey looks fool you–that’s what they want. Stay on your guard, and never turn your back on it. The moment you do, baff comes the blow to the head, and you’re down. Then the kicking starts.

No, when confronted, treat a mascot as you would any other large, wild animal. Raise your arms above your head, shout at it, jingle your keys loudly and clap your hands. Mascots are 95% bluff, and the best way to make them back off is to convince them you’re not falling for it.

Posted by Andrew Thell on Mar. 8, 2007 at 6:50 pm in NBA

5 Responses

I’m surprised there haven’t been more reports of mascot abuse, especially given their genetic similarity to clowns.

Posted by: Trixie on March 10th, 2007 at 6:10 pm

Now let me get this straight…In a blog post dated March 8, there is a report about a game that occurred March 11, about which a lawsuit was filed on March 2? Does ETB own the Flux capacitor?

Posted by: B-town on March 11th, 2007 at 8:23 pm

game was March 11 in 2005, my friend. what took the guy so long to file suit is anyone’s guess, ’cause if some mascot screwed up my back, I think I’d notice it sooner than two years down the road…

Posted by: Lord Jeffery on March 12th, 2007 at 2:37 am

Getting the flux capacitor was easy; plutonium, not so much.

Posted by: Brian on March 12th, 2007 at 10:55 am

There is a new “Boomer” every year.. So this is just one bad one that we have had.. Don’t take it out on all of the people inside the costume.

I think that he was just messing around anyways, and was trying to put on a show for the crowd.. After all, that is their job.

Posted by: Tyler on March 3rd, 2008 at 10:41 am

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