Mascots?

I was disappointed to notice a large Blue Jay like creature in the stands at the last game.  As you can guess I don't like mascots (I'm also afraid of clowns, so maybe there is something wrong with me) and I wonder: Do the Whitecaps need a mascot?

Mascots have a long and, ummm, "proud" athletic history.  They are supposed to be a rallying point for the team and to lead them into battle.  American Football with its collegiate roots is rife with mascots and cheerleaders (don't get me started on them) and they have become an indelible part of the sport.  But I think mascots cheapen and trivialize any sport they are associated with and I don't want this to happen to our Whitecaps.

I am sure I am not the only one who finds prancing over sized stuffed figures like Pat Patriot or K.C. Wolf creepy. More "realistic" mascots are often racist, Chief Osceola in Florida comes to mind. Still others are simply confusing.  Aren't Blue Jays already associated with the Toronto Blue Jays?  Creepiness, racism, and confusion aside, mascots seem out of place at a MLS game which lacks the overblown pageantry of the NFL or College Football.  It seems to me that mascots have been brought unthinkingly into the MLS based on the American assumption that every team needs a mascot.  They don't.  Soccer with its continuous play and its glorious history supporters groups and fan anthems has no need of mascots.  If the Whitecaps management want to get the fans into the game they should support groups like the Southsiders and play that great old 'Caps anthem "White is the color" at every opportunity. (find the Proclaimers version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cF2_G8BQT4)

I would love to hear from anyone who likes mascots.  Perhaps my unreasonable fear of large stuffed things has clouded my judgement and the 'Caps really are in desperate need of a dancing Blue Jay.