Root, root, root for the Phillies!

The Philly Phanatic, mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, is one of the most loved and absurd among sports mascots.  It also holds the dubious honor of being the most sued mascot. Most recently, he is being sued for an incident that occurred at the Golden Inn Hotel and Resort in New Jersey in 2010. The victim of this case is Suzanne Peirce, who was at the hotel to attend a wedding.  While sitting around the pool and enjoying the comic routine of the big furry green weirdo, the Phanatic allegedly approached Ms. Peirce, picked up the lounge chair she was sitting in, and threw her and the chair into the pool.  Unfortunately for Ms. Peirce, the Phanatic threw her into the shallow end of the pool, where she hit the bottom and suffered “severe and permanent injuries to her head, neck, back, arms and legs, bones, muscles, tendons, … and other injuries, the full extent of which is not yet known.” Ms. Peirce now must walk with a cane.  Along with the Phanatic, Ms. Peirce also sued the owners of the hotel, and the Phillies baseball team. Both Tom Burgoyne and Matt Mehler were named in the suit, as both share the duty and burden of the Phanatic cowl.

That seems a little far-fetched for a simple prank, as if the whole of modern medicine is completely baffled by the woman’s injuries.  Personal injury lawsuits have a tendency to exaggerate like this.  It’s a great tactic: price something high, so that the sale price seems much better by comparison.  This is not to say that the Phanatic is entirely innocent, though.  Among the Phanatic’s previous transgressions include hurting a fan’s knee after climbing on her in 2010, hugging a man too hard in 1994, and kicking a pregnant woman in the stomach in 1993. Despite this, both Sports Illustrated and Forbes have called the Phanatic the best mascot in professional sports.  With that in mind, I’d suggest the best mascot in sports stop hurting people and just take it easy for a while.