Follow Up on Steely McBeam

Apparently, the nickname Ryan “Steely” McBean has been catching on for the Steelers’ rookie defensive end out of Oklahoma State as I have received scores of hits today from people searching “Steely McBean” on Google. Of course, there is a slight possibility people are just typing the name of the new Steelers’ mascot incorrectly.

I’ve thought about starting an online petition (if there isn’t one already) to stop the existence of Mr. McBeam. However, I realize that in the grand scheme of things, the addition of a new Steelers mascot, while silly and unnecessary, is not really a big deal. If the purpose of the mascot is to get the home team fired up at games, that’s not going to happen. In reality, while you can name the Pirate Parrot or San Diego Chicken, how many people know NFL mascots? Therefore, if the purpose is to have the mascot visit schools or attend community functions to benefit non-profit organizations, then I’m completely OK with the mascot.

The only recent mascot experience I have to compare with Steely McBeam is the debut of Screech for the Washington Nationals. Screech is an ugly part-owl, part-eagle that needs to lose a few pounds. In my mind, Screech is useless. With that written, I attended a Pirates-Nationals game earlier in the season and sat next to a father with his son who could not have been older than four. When Screech came to the section, the kid was thrilled and gave Screech a huge hug. I just hope that kids don’t get too attached to McBeam.