This is how your favorite sports mascots keep their cool — even in extreme heat

It’s been a summer full of heat waves, making it hard for anyone to stay cool. That’s especially true for the mascots cheering on sports teams across the country wearing large, furry costumes.

The Associated Press wrote that mascots such as the Philadelphia’s Phillie Phanatic, St. Louis’ Fredbird and Chicago’s Clark the Cub also take many breaks, are always hydrating, and make use of cooling materials and proper ventilation. 

Mitch Maxine, owner of BAM! Mascots, keeps the heat in mind when designing costumes for various sports teams. 

“The thing that prevents people from being hot is usually the movement of air,” Maxine said to the AP. “If I make a costume, even if I make it out of very light, thin material, if I wear it in the middle of the heat, unless there’s something to move air through the material and across my skin, I’m going to be hot.”

BAM!, like other companies, the AP wrote, puts vents or battery-operated fans that circulate fresh air, and expel stale air and heat, from inside the costume’s head. They also use lightweight fabrics that can keep moisture away and fabric screens on the eyes, mouth, nose and ears to get the people in the costume more fresh air. 

One mascot has a unique way of staying fresh, even when sweating up a storm.

Tom Burgoyne, who performs as The Phillie Phanatic for the MLB team, told the AP he uses vodka and water — though he doesn’t drink it. Instead, it’s to clean his uniform after long days outside. 

“You put it in half-and-half, maybe a third vodka, the rest water, you put it in a squeegee bottle and you can spray your head that way,” Burgoyne said.

As Straight Arrow News has previously reported, dangerous heat domes blanketed much of the United States during summer 2025. In July, the National Centers for Environmental Information wrote, the global surface temperature was 1.80°F higher than the 20th-century average. This means it was the third-warmest July since the NCEI started keeping these records in 1850. The other two warmest years were July 2024 and July 2023.

This trend of increasing temperatures is likely to continue. Scientists expect climate change to make these heat waves even hotter and more frequent.

So what can non-mascots do to prevent themselves from experiencing heat-related illnesses? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend staying in air-conditioned indoor locations as much as you can during extreme heat wave; drinking plenty of fluids (even if you’re not thirsty); wearing loose, lightweight and light-colored clothing as well as sunscreen when going out; taking cool showers or baths; and checking the local news for health and safety updates.