' A mascot is believed to bring good luck, and is often used as a representation of the public identity of a brand name, professional sports team or a school. It’s usually a fictional character, and when used in sports, is basically a merchandising tool. Team mascots do not generally represent the nicknames of teams, and are chosen more for branding. It is therefore common to find a mascot that looks ridiculous or weird, in an effort to make it a memorable or unforgettable one. But sometimes they can go overboard, like these 20 worst college mascots used by some educational institutions in the U.S.
