Why do the A’s have an elephant mascot? The origins of the mascot and its association with the team

(FOX40.COM) — With the Athletics starting their temporary stay in the Sacramento area next March, that means a new mascot will join others that represent sports teams in the Capital City region.

Say hello to A’s mascot Stomper, a 6-foot, 6-inch tall elephant that weighs “a ton of fun” and has delighted fans with his silliness and dance moves since the late 1990s. He’ll temporarily share a home with Sacramento River Cats mascot Dinger.

Before Dinger welcomes Stomper to his new digs, the friendly elephant has already explored Sacramento in the team’s social media schedule release video , visiting sights such as the Crest Theatre, the Old Sacramento Waterfront, the Tower Bridge, and Capital Books.

More news about the A’s in Sacramento
• A’s announce they’ll play at Sutter Health Park for three seasons
• The first answers to the most asked questions about the move
• What led the A’s to move away from Oakland?
• Athletics file trademark for ‘Sacramento A’s’ and ‘Sacramento Athletics’
• A look at the team’s history ahead of their temporary move to Sutter Health Park

Getting to know Stomper

The jolly elephant made his debut as the A’s mascot for Opening Day on April 2, 1997, and became a beloved figure for fans.

Since making his debut, Stomper has worn an A’s uniform adorned with the number 00.

Obviously, Stomper’s favorite team is the A’s. Stomper’s favorite A’s players are “all of them” and his favorite colors are green and gold, according to his bio on the MLB website.

Stomper’s favorite food is peanuts and the top vacation spot is Mesa, Arizona, which is the home of the A’s spring training facility.

However, he is not the A’s first elephant mascot.

Stomper was preceded by another playful pachyderm in the mid-1980s named Harry Elephante, a play on the name of singer Harry Belafonte.

Before Harry Elephante, the A’s has been associated with an elephant during their 123-year history.

Origins of the elephant mascot

The origin of the elephant began in 1902 when New York Giants manager John McGraw, who moved to the National League from the American League, bad-mouthed his former associates and called out the A’s in particular.

According to an article from the Baseball Hall of Fame, McGraw said the A’s were doomed to fail, alleging that the team made no money. During his rant, McGraw said that A’s owner Ben Shibe had a “white elephant” on his hands.

The A’s shortly adopted the “white elephant” as a symbol as an opportunity to refute and ridicule McCraw’s claims. The team eventually placed an elephant logo on their jerseys and other images related to the ballclub.

The elephant would be removed and reintroduced throughout the team’s history.

Under the ownership of Charles O. Finley, he got rid of the elephant image when the team was in Kansas City in the 1960s, replacing it with the Missouri mule.

The mule was not embraced by fans and Finley continued to refuse to use the elephant. It wasn’t until the team settled in Oakland that the elephant made its comeback.

When Walter A. Haas bought the team in the 1980s, he decided to put the elephant in its “proper” place on the left sleeve of the A’s uniforms.

Since making its return, the elephant has remained a symbol of the franchise that once got ridiculed with a “white elephant” insult by a disgruntled manager.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.