# What is the best animal mascot in American sports?

> The Detroit Lions were named after the Detroit Tigers, and that is only the start of American sport's animal obsession. Bears, Ravens, Bengals, Jaguars and more, ranked head to head.

*By YPB Team · Published August 6, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-animal-mascot-in-american-sports*

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## Current results (0 votes)

1. **Detroit Lions**
   Named in 1934 in deference to the city's baseball Tigers.
2. **Detroit Tigers**
   Detroit's older cat, and the team the Lions were named after.
3. **Chicago Bears**
   The NFL's oldest surviving nickname, and its most literal.
4. **Chicago Cubs**
   Wrigley's young bears.
5. **Baltimore Ravens**
   Named for a poem, not an animal.
6. **Philadelphia Eagles**
   The bird that fills a stadium with noise.
7. **Carolina Panthers**
   The NFL's big cat of the Carolinas.
8. **Jacksonville Jaguars**
   A cat that does not live within 3,000 miles of Florida.
9. **Cincinnati Bengals**
   The stripes are on the helmet, not just the cat.
10. **Clemson Tigers**
   College football's loudest tiger.
11. **LSU Tigers**
   Home of Mike the Tiger, a live mascot on campus.
12. **Penn State Nittany Lions**
   A mountain lion named for a local ridge.
13. **Seattle Seahawks**
   An osprey by another name, and the loudest crowd in the league.
14. **Miami Dolphins**
   Florida's sea mammal, since 1966.

Tags: brands, usa, sports, classics