FLYERS GET GRITTY

Philly’s frightening mascot has been taking over Twitter, and no, I’m not talking about the beloved Phanatic. Surely at this point, you’ve seen “Gritty”, the new mascot for the hometown NHL team the Philadelphia Flyers. And boy is he a sight.

Reactions have been mixed, but no one can contest that Gritty has made a splash. In under a week, Gritty has appeared on Jimmy Fallon, started twitter feuds with other mascots, sparred with Always Sunny, recreated infamous magazine covers, inspired memes and muppet/player crossover comparisons, publicly danced to “Pony”—in other words, has embodied the extra and truly DGAF attitude that has made the Philadelphia sports fan base the most hotly contested and hated among any single city in the country.

As we enter peak hockey season, the release of Gritty was well-timed and even better executed. The launch was thoughtful, funny, playful, and exudes Philly sports spirit down to the name. Gritty is about the most PC way to describe this city’s wild fan base.

To whoever is running Gritty’s Twitter account, I’m just amazed and inspired. What a week.

P.S. Go Rangers.