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What’s better: Loud cocks or tiny pricks? - anjro - 2026-06-29
This is an extension of my series where I look at possible mascot/names for the different teams in the SSL.
Majors & Minors:
https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9663
Academy:
https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/showthread.php?tid=9611
Now that I have been drafted by Uniao Sao Paulo / AS Paris I thought it would be a good opportunity to further explore options for these teams. My current understanding is the official/unofficial mascot for Uniao Sao Paulo is the Capybara and there is no such official mascot for AS Paris yet. Since AS Paris does not have one, that will be the scope of this exercise.
Other options considered
Before I get to the main candidates, which you might be able to guess from the subject of this article, I wanted to go over several other candidates I considered. Their case was decent, but not as compelling as the others.
Gargoyles – These are all over Paris, especially Notre-Dame cathedral. They are intimidating and would represent vigilance as it is constantly on watch, ready to protect home field. I think they are probably the most visually interesting option. I don’t think it really goes with capybaras though.
Lions – This would be a nod to the Lion of Belfort sculpture, which represents the heroic French resistance during the Siege of Belfort back in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian war. This mascot might be too common. Lions are well represented in sports. It also would probably eat a capybara and we can’t have that.
The top dog: Roosters
In my prior article, I had suggested Roosters which is a famous national symbol of France. Upon further research, the history actually goes back to ancient Rome. Back then, the Romans occupied the region of France and called it Gaul. The Latin name for the people of Gaul is Gallus which is also the same word for rooster. This double entendre was used to make fun of those people – essentially calling them loud birds who talk a lot of shit but are easily beaten.
It seems the French knew that to take away the power of an insult, you lean into it, which is what they did. The rooster started appearing on French coins, flags, and churches – rather than think of the bird as a shit talker that is actually weak, they reimagined it as brave, fierce, and protective. This really took off around the French revolution. A common farm animal represented the working people rather than the wealthy elite.
All in all, the history and characteristics all seem like solid primary reasons for the rooster to be the mascot for AS Paris. There may also be some secondary reasons (although to some these may be primary). Think of all the dick jokes that could be had. Just so many. Can we really pass up this opportunity? Before we get too carried away let’s look at another candidate.
The challenger: Bees
The bee also has ties to French history. It starts where we left off. When Napoleon became the new king, he wanted a symbol that was completely different than the previous symbol (fleur-de-lis) which was the traditional symbol of the French monarchy. An old tomb (from pre-French monarchs) was discovered that had gold insects with wings, they called them bees, but were probably cicadas. Napoleon adopted the bee due to them being basically tied to the birth of France. Since it was adopted as Napoleon’s imperial symbol, it was put on his robes, official crests, all over. Napoleon commissioned the Arc de Triomphe which is the current logo of AS Paris. As you might expect, there are bees decorating it.
Beyond the history, from a sports perspective, bees can represent a swarm, speed, agility, sting, and hive among other things. All great aspects for a sports team, especially for all the pace and acceleration enjoyers. All these different dimensions make the bee a very solid mascot candidate.
Fit with Uniao Sao Paulo
It is probably a wash between rooster and bee in terms of how well they get along with the Uniao Sao Paulo capybara. I doubt capybaras care about or notice bees, where as there is probably more volatility with a rooster. Maybe there is a slight edge to the bee because it is already part of a capybara, cap-bee-bara. Thematically, that is pretty cool. If we go with roosters, you can have C&C, capys and cocks or even capys with cocks which is much funnier. Depending on how you view that, it could be a win for either side.
Logo
I am not talented enough to draft a logo concept that incorporates these ideas. However, if it were a bee, it seems pretty easy to stick the bee in the middle of the Arc de Triomphe. Not sure how I would add a cock to it though. Also, as a brief aside, I think given the current shape of the Uniao Sao Paulo logo, it could be molded into a capybara face/head.
Acronym
ASPR – For rooster, this kind of flows like ASMR. Solid.
ASPB – For bee, B after P with the hard E sound also works.
Decision
If it was my decision, I would say my top 3 would be gargoyles, roosters, and bees. I really like gargoyles. I think it is a very unique mascot that is rooted in history in the area. Roosters probably resonate the most with actual French people if I had to guess. However, just like how lions are so well represented generally as a sports mascot, the rooster feels too mainstream to me in a French context. It already represents the French national football team (both men’s and women’s), rugby union team, handball team, Olympic and paralympic athletes.
My choice is bees. Just like how gargoyles and roosters are rooted in history, so are bees. If we still want to use the Arc de Triomphe as part of the logo/symbolism, the bee fits the best with it. It represents the French just like the Rooster, but is less common in my eyes. All in all, I think it checks all the boxes.
Do you think I chose correctly? What would you choose? Did I miss any other options?