Mal on December 16, 2008 said:

I will always have a special place in my heart for the Bear–he was the husband of my fourth grade teacher! (We weren’t supposed to know that but my nosey Dad put the pieces together.) He practically lived at our elementary school (in costume everytime) so I will forever be grateful for what he does for our community.

I usually don’t find myself watching the Bear rather than the game, except for when he brings out his ilttle bear cubs. They are to die for cute.

Amber on December 16, 2008 said:

Back up off the Jazz Bear.. He does a great deal for the team and the community.. He represents soo much more than just a mascot and he does do an amazing job at getting our fans back in the game. He also adds a lighter mood to some tough situations the Jazz players end up in. I cant say this for every mascot out there. As some of them are really boring and can be a real annoyance, but the bear is a an amazing part of our team! Relax and enjoy a little kid in yourself!

Chase Peterson on December 16, 2008 said:

Bear makes the game more exciting

Annie Whittaker on December 16, 2008 said:

The Mavs Man is like the scary clown of my childhood nightmares. At the games he goes through the crowd and puts that evil mug in people’s faces. Awful. I think the Bear a top entertainer. He seems to take his job very seriously.

Boondock Saint on December 17, 2008 said:

I don’t think I have ever watched the Bear instead of the game but I think he does a great service to the team. He’s a part of the community, participates in parades, and does a lot of promo stuff. I think he is like the Queen of England, no real power in the outcome of games but people (especially the kids and us who like to hear Harleys rev and watch him sled down the stairs) want to see him. He’s a figurehead and represents the Jazz and brings warm fuzzies and smiles wherever he goes. Amber is right though, let the inner kid out for a breather.

JayRay on December 17, 2008 said:

so check this out, we have a bear because we are a mountainous state, are we not?

would a dancing musical note really make any sense at all?
sure mascots are primarily for entertainment value aimed at a certain age group, but they add more than that, community service is a HUGE part of it all, but in the end it still leads back to a good time. i love it when Bear puts a pie in someones face, it makes me feel warm inside. consider me a child if you must.

a better question would be, why do we have dancers?

… oh wait, i know the reason there …

Linda McFarland on December 17, 2008 said:

Didn’t the Jazz get their name from when they were in New Orleans? We should feel very lucky that we do not have a dancing musical note for a mascot!!!! I watch the bear duriing the time-outs and half time and many a time he has got me to yelling for our team when I was sitting there on my lazy behind doing nothing. The dancers are dancers (which is another subject as I don’t think they get enough recognition from the crowd) so I think we do need the ear as our cheer leader. We could always be called the Bumbke Bees with a little bee flitting around!! I agree that we need to bring out the child part of us a little diring the games. Remember…..Life off, Game on.

Travis O. on December 17, 2008 said:

Ok, first things first. Anything that makes a sporting event more exciting should definitely be involved. It’s the same reason each NBA team has an announcer that shouts at the top of his lungs through a microphone of super wattage speakers when there is 5 seconds left and your team is trying to keep the other from tying or winning the game! (Phew) Sports Marketing 101, people love free stuff and when the Jazz bear is out throwing XL tee shirts into the crowd and doing stunts that are super cool to watch, people feel they’re getting their moneys worth. When you see the Jazz bear throw his arms up, it gets the crowd a whole lot more excited then an usher in a green vest or a producer with headphones around his neck doing it. Plain and simple Mascots are great. Lets not forget that mascots do the majority of their stints during timeouts, in between periods, and so on. It’s designed so that you, the fan, don’t have to choose between watching the game and watching the Bear. And don’t tell me that if the game was going on and that giant newspaper was floating above you in the middle of a 3rd quarter possession with free Jazz tickets, you wouldn’t direct your full attention to trying to get those tickets! As for the each team and the mascot they choose… Yeah, some really make no since but, The Jazz bear is for the mountainous terrain that Utah is known for. The Kings Lion well, have you never heard of the Lion as being the King of all the beasts??? As for Seattle’s Squatch, well that upper western part of the U.S. is widely known as a constant “sighting” of Bigfoot or SASQUATCH! Simply put, It’s all part of the game and I think this blog was written by someone who couldn’t find anything better to write on… No offense.

Annie Whittaker on December 17, 2008 said:

Ouch on behalf of Trent.

David Leishman on December 18, 2008 said:

Travis O. you make a great point. . . I am a season ticket holder and as for me, I think whoever wrote this is a moron, sorry, and obviously has never seen our beloved Jazz Bear in action. Our mascot is so unbelievably talented and coordinated. His stunts are amazing, entertaining and definately add to the excitement of Jazz games. Not to mention the wonderful things he does for our community. (and I’m not talking about our silver spoon community, this mascot gets his paws dirty and genuinely makes a difference) Keep it up Bear!!!