Unlike most NFL teams, the New York Giants technically do not have an official mascot. If you tune into a ‘Giants’ game, you won’t see anyone dressed as a giant pumping up the crowd. By contrast, talk to an Eagles fan and you’ll hear an instant, unified cry: “Go Birds!” The eagle isn’t just a logo—it’s a rallying point. For those raised in America, they have grown up learning that the eagle nationally represents wisdom and freedom in American culture.
So, if the New York Giant isn’t actually a giant, what is it? When the team was founded in 1925 by Tim Mara, he borrowed the name from the New York Giants baseball team, paying homage to the city’s sports history. In other words, the Giants chose identity through tradition, not through a literal figure.
In that way, F&M is similar. Our teams have long been known as “the Diplomats,” but the name raises the same question: what exactly is a Diplomat? The term originated in 1934 after a student newspaper, The Student Weekly, called for a team nickname. It stuck after F&M’s historic 1935 football game against Fordham. Like the Giants, we have chosen to be under a title that pays homage to history, rather than a living entity..
The difference, though, is that the Giants can lean on New York’s identity, while “Diplomat” can feel less tangible. An eagle is instantly recognizable; a diplomat is harder to picture. F&M’s website describes Diplomats broadly: “When you become an F&M Diplomat, your influence reaches everywhere—the classroom and laboratory, the studio and stage, the playing field, the city of Lancaster and beyond.” It perfectly describes the diverse liberal arts education F&M is renowned for, but it is intentionally vast and abstract. How do you turn a diplomat into a symbol we can all rally behind?
That is the question tasked to the new mascot committee. In his email “Developing F&M’s Future Mascot,” President Rich announced that Vice President of Student Affairs Drew Stelljes and Student Body President Caroline Reigel will co-chair a group of faculty, students, staff, and alumni tasked with creating a new mascot. He urged students to share their feedback on forms and websites as the process unfolds.
Ultimately, F&M must decide what best embodies the Diplomat spirit. Will the committee choose an iconic figure everyone can instantly recognize? Or will it craft something that, like the Giants, stems from historical pride?
For now, we’ll have to wait—and imagine what kind of symbol could truly unite us Diplomats.
Senior Catherine Welch is a Staff Writer. Her email is cwelch@fandm.edu.