Under the Shady Tree: social media trolls the Clemson Tigers mascot during National Championship against LSU

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 07: The Clemson mascot 'The Tiger' during the ACC football championship game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Clemson Tigers on December 7, 2019, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Under the Shady Tree: social media trolls the Clemson Tigers mascot during National Championship against LSU

by Mary Staes | January 14, 2020

Monday night, we caught an up-close look at Clemson’s Tiger mascot costume:

*His yellow emotionless eyes stare into my soul.* (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Both LSU and Clemson have tigers as their mascots. Looking at both, one can’t help remember the chargrin of pre-op Pierre the Pelican … and the cheers that followed of post-op Pierre. However, it didn’t take long for social media users to start throwing the shade at Clemson, because, let’s be honest, this mascot looks like he’s straight from Party City’s clearance rack.

The Throw Back

Clemson’s mascot looks like a throw from the truck parade.

— Kristi Maupin (@WrittenNRed) January 14, 2020

Change of Allegiances

After seeing Clemson’s mascot, I’ve decided I’m rooting for LSU pic.twitter.com/nqFaapYbFg

— kate (@kate_barr) January 14, 2020

The Weeping

They said the Clemson mascot looks like he’s from Chalmette and I’m inconsolable 😭😭😭

— Dreamseller✨Supreme (@MStaes) January 14, 2020

They’re Grrrrooooss!

The Clemson mascot looks like Tony the Tiger on heroin pic.twitter.com/tK4mx71C0n

— Hunter Kraynak (@hunterkraynak) January 14, 2020

The Swipe Left

TIGER TALE: My favorite game meme pic.twitter.com/gk1RFXzaKS

— Keith Esparros (@kesparros) January 14, 2020

Gaze of Despair

https://twitter.com/_vendita/status/1216957809541238784

Top Shelf vs Bottom Shelf

Nightmare on Clemson Street

This is the sort of tiger people have nightmares about. Invest in a new mascot costume please #Clemson. #LSUvsCLEM #collegenationalchampionship pic.twitter.com/p0K2lCRyZM

— $KRIS (@KrisWD40) January 14, 2020

Always Find A Designated Driver

https://twitter.com/LafourcheSO/status/1216947522326945792

There was even a GoFundMe started for a new costume, and it exceeded expectations, surpassing it’s goal of $1,000 with more than $1,400 in just a few hours.

“It seems that the University purchased their mascot costume from the clearance rack from TG&Y in 1981,” the GoFundMe description said. “All proceeds will be mailed to the Clemson University Athletic Department.”

Welp! There’s no shade at the top! 😎💜💛

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Mary Staes

Mary Staes is Digital Content Lead for Very Local. She works with our freelancers and crafts content for our social media platforms and website. Before Very Local, she worked with CBS affiliate WWL-TV as a web producer and weekend assignment editor for about 4 years. She has also handled broadcast coverage for 160 Marine Reserve training facilities while she served as an active duty Marine. As a native New Orleanian, she takes being "very local" to heart. She loves being intertwined with the culture and figuring out how there are less than two degrees of separation between us all, whether we're natives or not.