(Design by Jack Desmond | The Daily Utah Chronicle)
Swoop is a symbol of the University of Utah’s cultural and athletic legacy, an unelected trustee of the student body. The administration has allowed him to fall into disrepair. Swoop deserves better.
If U President Taylor Randall is serious about his commitment to “college town magic,” making Swoop great again must be a top priority.
Swoop and students
Dissatisfaction with Swoop is not uncommon among U students and alumni. In sophomore biochemistry major Johnny Macfarlane’s opinion, there is simply not enough Swoop to meet student demand. “I get really excited when I see Swoop,” Macfarlane said. “I love Swoop, but he doesn’t come out enough.” Class of ’24 grad Hannah Berrett echoed this sentiment. “I remember when I was little, he would walk around,” Barrett said. “Now he doesn’t.”
Numerous studies have found that college mascots have a profound impact on students, staff, alumni and their local communities.
A 2025 study by the University of Florence found that mascots strengthen engagement, promote inclusivity and shape entire social attitudes and cultural legacies. Another recent study in “Scientific Reports” unearthed a potential link between mascot performance and viewers’ emotional well-being. “The design and communication of event mascots must accurately respond to the psychological needs of the audience,” the study said. “[T]he institutional symbols [are] transferred into perceptible authority trust.”
These studies suggest that college mascots can have a direct impact on tangible realities, including student enthusiasm and attendance. Making Swoop a more involved mascot would help increase both of these things.
Swoop vs. Cosmo
While they fight like cats and dogs at the line of scrimmage, the BYU-Utah rivalry is, in fact, symbolized by a giant cat and a big bird. Annual rivalry games naturally lead to some direct comparisons between Swoop and his cougar competitor, Cosmo.
Cosmo has become something of a cultural phenomenon in recent years, with several viral performances focusing on dancing and daredevil stunts generating buzz even outside the local community. Moments like these guided Cosmo to a SiriusXM Mascot Bracket National Championship in 2020.
Meanwhile, Swoop languishes in relative obscurity, drawing less than 5% of Cosmo’s Instagram followers and incorporating much fewer dramatic stunts or skillful dancing into his routines.
The reduced physicality of Swoop compared to Cosmo makes one wonder if there is even an athlete behind the mask at all.
Additionally, Swoop’s social media presence can most lovingly be described as lackluster. Swoop’s page is dotted with cringey low-energy dance moves that look like they were shot on somebody’s Nokia.
Social media presence plays a vital role in the establishment of mascot figures like Swoop. The Scientific Reports study outlines this relationship in no uncertain terms. “In [the process of creating mascot-viewer trust], a series of interactions and continuous emotional connections must be established through social media,” the study said.
Giving Swoop’s performance more attitude would certainly increase his overall online presence. Playing up flamboyance, swagger and aggression has created enduring fame and lasting legacies for the likes of WWE heels and the Beastie Boys, and it can work for Swoop too.
Everybody likes to root for the heel, and a Swoop-Cosmo online beef is perhaps long overdue.
Swoop and “college town magic.”
The U has not been forthcoming about the Swoop mascot program and has preferred to keep its mascot practices relatively opaque.
One of the managers of the Swoop mascot program, Kody Carbone, declined to comment after being reached out to for this article. “As a general note, we’re always willing to discuss Swoop to a point,” Carbone wrote in an email. “While much of what we do remains confidential, we always welcome curiosity and genuine interest in learning more about the program and its impact on campus.”
Refusing to answer questions about Swoop only adds to the opacity and mistrust between the U administration and its stakeholders and undermines the “authority trust” which “Scientific Reports” asserts college mascots should affirm.
Thus, many details about Swoop, including his training regimen, the number of actors who portray him and the strategy behind his social media and campus presence, all remain frustratingly in the air.
College mascots need to personify cool, and a big part of this is visibility and physicality. U administrators need to acknowledge that the university’s mascot is ultimately accountable to his stakeholders, and that concealing information about Swoop raises serious concerns about the current state of the program.
It would simply take being more transparent about the details of the Swoop program for confidence in the U administration’s management of Swoop to be restored. Furthermore, if Swoop himself were more visible day-to-day, students’ feelings towards him would grow less tepid. Students will feel more comfortable rallying around him as a symbol of our university as Swoop gets more accessible.
These strategies will leave Swoop feeling less like he belongs at a Chuck-E-Cheese and more like the embodiment of all the talent and excellence the U represents.
Swoop is undeniably part of what makes the U such a special institution, and has been a major part of its identity for nearly thirty years. He is a symbol not just of academic and athletic excellence but of local craftsmanship and ingenuity. It is shocking to see Swoop sidelined compared to President Randall’s other initiatives to introduce “college town magic” to campus.
Nevertheless, hope holds out for Swoop. “I think Swoop is the coolest mascot,” Macfarlane said, “but [the administration] has been lacking in execution.”
The U must better leverage its resources to increase student morale and pride in the West’s No. 1 public university by more deliberately managing the mascot program to take Swoop from good to great.
Ahead of his 30th birthday next year, make Swoop great again now.
About the Contributors
Noah Wright has written for the opinion desk at The Chronicle since 2024. He is pursuing his degree in business administration with a minor in jazz saxophone at the University of Utah. Noah is Armenian American and loves growing more conversant with his heritage; he is fluent in Eastern Armenian and has lived intermittently overseas. In his spare time, he loves reading the Book of Mormon, walking his dog, inviting people to church and whenever a new Ace Attorney game comes out.
(he/him) Jack Desmond is a designer at The Chronicle. He is a graphic design major at the University of Utah, and was born and raised in Cottonwood Heights. He works for The Chronicle to gain experience as a designer, but also because he believes in the importance of journalism, and building a community of trust and integrity at the U. In his free time, he enjoys hanging with friends, skiing, swimming, volleyball, drawing and writing.
