Not only did Jim Fenzel whip up a special and NEW D1 Lacrosse Cartoon (and in color!) for his game of the week preview, but Fenzel also added in a little D3 bonus cartoon for us all to enjoy. Plenty of mascot action going down this week, from the both the best and biggest divisions in college lacrosse.
D1 and D3 come together this week, but we’ll start off with the big boys, because they’re the big boys (and because this one is in color!).
Big Ten – NEW D1 Lacrosse Cartoon
Anyone who doesn’t think Penn State Vs. Maryland is huge is fooling themselves. This is a gigantic game, and it’s going to be epic!
Also, if you’re looking for a REAL LIFE lacrosse board game, one DOES exist, and it’s good! Check out Faceoff Nation. Remaining supplies are limited! I’ve played it, it’s fun, and if you like strategy board games and lacrosse, I recommend it highly!
NCAA D3 Bonus Cartoon
If you’re not up on your D3 sports, I’ll fill you in.
Many current NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) schools have been around for a long time, and have been playing sports for almost as long. The Wesleyan-Amherst-Williams Little Three rivalry goes back to 1899. This means school mascots can become… outdated. For example, Wesleyan used to be the Fighting Methodists, which made sense when it was a Methodist leaning school. Now they are the Cardinals (the bird not the religious figure) because it’s very secular. In this case, a nod was made to the school’s history, although not everyone realizes it.
When it comes to Amherst, for a long time, the school didn’t have an official mascot, but the sports teams were generally known as the “Lord Jeffs”, after Lord Jeffrey Amherst. The town of Amherst, MA (where Amherst College is located), and many other locations, are also named after the former Governor General of British North America. But if the name rings a bell for you historically, it is probably for a pretty terrible reason – Amherst was also in charge of the plot to hand out smallpox infested blankets to nearby Native American nations during a time of war. Amherst’s student body got motivated enough to change the unofficial mascot, and now they are the Amherst Mammoths. Tufts is the Jumbos (Jumbo was PT Barnum’s prize elephant, and was massive), and they have to be at least a little surprised that another NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) team picked the same mammal. To be fair, Mammoths are extinct (for now) and Jumbo was ONE elephant, but still… it’s funny, and a massive improvement over a former genocidal agent.
Ok, that was kind of serious. But history is serious, so be it!
To see more of Jim Fenzel’s excellent work, check out his website. He’s got a coffee mug or two on there you’re going to want to pick up at the very least!
Jim will be back each week with more one-of-a-kind Weekly D1 (and other) Lacrosse Cartoons. Enjoy, and if you see Jim on Twitter, give him some thanks and of course the all important follow.
One more shameless plug… Grow The Game hats – so hot right, and AVAILABLE!
Which hats? THESE:
Hats for bats.
