[SuperJon]

I've started a debate over on CoastalFans. I thought it'd be fun to bring it over here as well.

He's (Chauncey) acted like a d----- towards me on multiple occasions. Last year when I was at the Coastal basketball game and he came over and stood directly in front of me to block my view I said, "Oh c'mon. Don't be a d----- like that." and I'm pretty sure he heard me. He ended up moving a couple of seconds later and I could see again but I didn't hide my feelings when he did it. He's also cussed at friends of mine who are camera men at Liberty because they made a joke about being a chicken. There are things people representing a university should and shouldn't do, and I've seen a lot from him in the shouldn't category. He's good at what he does, very good at times from what I've seen, but he gets into fan mode too often when acting as the mascot.

Being a jerk and doing jerky things as an opposing fan is expected.

Doing and saying those same things as a mascot, a representative of a university, is different.

Had he done any of that or said any of that on a personal Twitter account or as a student I'd think nothing of it. The position that he's in makes me think the way I do about him.

The debate is this: Should people who are university representatives publicly talk smack against other schools?

[ALUmnus]

Yes. But acting like a mascot is a substantive "representative of a university" is sort of laughable.

[SuperJon]

But they are a representative of the university. Mascots are constantly on tv and in highilghts. When mascots do something stupid it's in the news.

Is it stupid that they represent the university? Yes it is.

Do they still represent the university though? Yes they do.

[LUconn]

Well, there's 2 different situations. I give mascots in general a lot of leeway to act like buffoons. And really that's what I like about them. I am a huge fan of mascots actually. I like them being funny and I like them acting like jerks to the other team. They are a caricature of the school.

On the other hand they don't talk. Twitter and facebook give them the ability to do that and it's not for the better.

I guess it's somewhat hypocritical but in short, calling you names seems over the line, but standing in your way and messing with you is funny.

[SuperJon]

I guess it's somewhat hypocritical but in short, calling you names seems over the line, but standing in your way and messing with you is funny.

I can see this and had I not had preconceived notions about him, likely would've agreed.

The ultimate point, and this has been lost over there because Randy doesn't like me and chose to attack everything I said (and he'll post this over there), is this:

Should university representatives smack talk over social media? Would it be okay for Alan York to take a shot at another school on his Twitter account? Would it be okay for the Liberty Football account to make a joke about beating a team by a ton?

[From the class of 09]

I guess it's somewhat hypocritical but in short, calling you names seems over the line, but standing in your way and messing with you is funny.

I can see this and had I not had preconceived notions about him, likely would've agreed.

The ultimate point, and this has been lost over there because Randy doesn't like me and chose to attack everything I said (and he'll post this over there), is this:

Should university representatives smack talk over social media? Would it be okay for Alan York to take a shot at another school on his Twitter account? Would it be okay for the Liberty Football account to make a joke about beating a team by a ton?

Only if that team is Coastal

[Randy]

Well, there's 2 different situations. I give mascots in general a lot of leeway to act like buffoons. And really that's what I like about them. I am a huge fan of mascots actually. I like them being funny and I like them acting like jerks to the other team. They are a caricature of the school.

On the other hand they don't talk. Twitter and facebook give them the ability to do that and it's not for the better.

I guess it's somewhat hypocritical but in short, calling you names seems over the line, but standing in your way and messing with you is funny.

What Jon's upset about is this:

As for this, that kid's a d-----. He's talked crap on Twitter for a couple of years now. I'm completely shocked that they allow someone who is speaking for the university say the things that he did. I was a freaking grad assistant and didn't have anything Liberty related in my name and got in trouble multiple times for things I said on Twitter. He'll never be half the mascot that Patrick Brochu was anyway.

Nobody called anybody a name. The Chauncey Twitter account only said something about LU "bribing" their fans with lunchboxes to get them to come to the game - and, let's be perfectly honest, the fact that there was free stuff being given away probably did get a few extra people through the gate (as I'm sure it would here at Coastal, or at Winthrop, or UNCA, or probably everywhere else in the Big South).

Jon thinks mascots should never talk smack, ever. Jon also got mad enough about Chauncey standing in front of him for a whole "couple of seconds" at least a year or more ago at a CCU vs. LU game here in Conway to label the person inside the Chauncey suit as a "d-----" and continue to call him a "d-----" several times since the post I quoted above. Tell me - who's overreacting here? Those of us who think it's perfectly fine for a mascot to talk a little smack on Twitter, or the person who's holding onto a year+ old grudge against a guy in a chicken suit that he's never even met?

[Randy]

I guess it's somewhat hypocritical but in short, calling you names seems over the line, but standing in your way and messing with you is funny.

I can see this and had I not had preconceived notions about him, likely would've agreed.

The ultimate point, and this has been lost over there because Randy doesn't like me and chose to attack everything I said (and he'll post this over there), is this:

Should university representatives smack talk over social media? Would it be okay for Alan York to take a shot at another school on his Twitter account? Would it be okay for the Liberty Football account to make a joke about beating a team by a ton?

I don't dislike you. I chose to call you out in the same way you called out CD21, and you agreed with my assessment of your behavior. I also chose to let you attempt to make your case publicly, since you've made a public scene out of it twice now over two different discussion forums. If you would like me to close the thread at CoastalFans, I'll be more than happy to - but the only reason the discussion is even open in the first place is because you started it.

[jcmanson]

Alan York/Liberty Football/Jeff Barber don't = Sparky

Not saying Sparky (or another mascot) couldn't go over the line because they obviously can, but the lines are in 2 different places.

[SuperJon]

Dude, it's much more than that. If you'd read everything I said, you see that.

He called a cameraman an a--hole while in uniform.

He's made fun of Liberty and its principles on Twitter.

It's a series of events that has led up to that. You're refusing to look at that. You've got in your head that I'm coming out of nowhere with this and anytime that you get your head set on that, you go at it ruthlessly without reading everything. You proved that on your board.

[SuperJon]

you've made a public scene out of it twice now over two different discussion forums.

I'm trying to have a discussion over here. It's turned into anything but a discussion over there so I wanted to have an actual back and forth without attacks here.

Everyone over there got so bent on attacking me and my view points that they didn't even bother acknowledging WEF's comment about my question that started the whole thing.

My intent was not to start a mud slinging contest about the kid who plays Chauncey who I've is a very good mascot. My intent was to ask him a question on why it was different for fans to talk crap to him than when he does it on Twitter. He said this:

Winners don't talk (expletive) to the opposing team's mascot, so many people from their team talked some serious (expletive) toward me when I was walking off the court. Unreal.

My question was why was it wrong and unbecoming of a winner to do it while walking off the court after a win but it's not wrong to do it on Twitter. Once asked that question in a respectful manner, all of the other crap was brought up that spiraled into this debate.

[Randy]

you've made a public scene out of it twice now over two different discussion forums.

I'm trying to have a discussion over here. It's turned into anything but a discussion over there so I wanted to have an actual back and forth without attacks here.

Everyone over there got so bent on attacking me and my view points that they didn't even bother acknowledging WEF's comment about my question that started the whole thing.

My intent was not to start a mud slinging contest about the kid who plays Chauncey who I've is a very good mascot. My intent was to ask him a question on why it was different for fans to talk crap to him than when he does it on Twitter. He said this:

Winners don't talk (expletive) to the opposing team's mascot, so many people from their team talked some serious (expletive) toward me when I was walking off the court. Unreal.

My question was why was it wrong and unbecoming of a winner to do it while walking off the court after a win but it's not wrong to do it on Twitter. Once asked that question in a respectful manner, all of the other crap was brought up that spiraled into this debate.

Oh, come on, dude - you and I both know this started as anything but respectful discourse. You don't make a comment about how someone you don't even know is a "d-----" and then expect to have a respectful discourse about it. I'm sorry again that you feel like you're under attack, but let's be honest - you said things like:

I'm gonna start a fire storm...

and

I'll fully say it. He's acted like a d----- towards me on multiple occasions.

Can you honestly expect a completely respectful discourse to occur after saying stuff like that?

As for you thinking I "don't like" you - you yourself said that you act like a "d-----" a lot of the time, I agreed, and you repeated that you've always acted like a "d-----." If agreeing with your own assessment of yourself is "not liking" you, then sure, count me guilty.

As for the debate at hand - I obviously disagree with your viewpoint, and it seems like a couple other posters in this thread do as well.

[SuperJon]

I said the fire storm comment because any time I post something over there that is less than fully supportive of Coastal, it starts a fire storm. I had no intentions of even bringing up what I said over here over the weekend. That didn't even come into my thinking when I made that original post.

As for the don't like me comment, that was based on the fact that we disagree on pretty much everything on every single board that has to do with anything.

[RubberMallet]

my input. if you follow your schools mascot on twitter you are a moron.

[ATrain]

I agree with Mallett.

And to add further, this is just the 21st century (and also much more tame) version of what the Stanford band/tree, UVA pep band, etc...did before Twitter/Facebook. Does it make it right? Not necessarily, but considering its a mascot I really don't see it as that big of a deal.

[Realist]

Aren't Mascots supposed to be fun loving, dancing, gag prank playing fun for kids? I've never thought they were more than anything but the sideshow to keep the little ones entertained that weren't interested in the game. I guess it goes back to the role model thing, mascots aren't role models but let's be honest, kids go to games to see the mascots---I don't think you want your university mascot cussing out opposing fans and acting like a crazed lunatic----you want him dancing with the little kids.

As for the posting stuff, that's even worse. People forget actions and spoken word, but there's always history of the written word.

I think what he's doing makes his university come across as low class. But I'm all for continuing everyone perception that Coastal is low class, so carry on.

[Cider Jim]

Does our own Sparky have a Twitter account?

[From the class of 09]

Does our own Sparky have a Twitter account?

my input. if you follow your schools mascot on twitter you are a moron.

none of us are lame moron's so we don't know....

if i did i would try @Sparky_Flames

[Cider Jim]

For anyone who has way too much time on your hands...

http://twitter.com/Sparky_Flames

[jenkins]

just be thankful your not the idiot that has to wear that thing..especially CCU's god awful colors.

[Hold My Own]

my input. if you follow your schools mascot on twitter you are a moron.

Unless the mascots promise to post stuff like what's going on in this thread...that would be very entertaining