Sir Minty, mascot of mystery
Charlotte FC is slowly introducing its mascot — a walking soccer ball with a smiley face and a crooked crown.
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Opponents ridicule him. Fans are confounded by him. The team is staying mum on his origins; ‘What the f— is that?’
Fans smile for a photo with Charlotte FC mascot Sir Minty during halftime of the Charlotte FC vs. Chelsea match earlier this month. Sir Minty doesn’t roam Bank of America Stadium during matches, so fans have to come to him at his photo setup in the main concourse.
By Lindsey Banks
Two grown men unashamedly giggled at halftime during the Charlotte FC vs. Chelsea FC match last week, a little awestruck by the photo op they were seeking — one with a giant soccer ball with arms and legs that is Charlotte FC’s mascot.
His name is Sir Minty. Some fans have heard of him. Others haven’t. The team seems to be rolling him out only gradually.
Just moments earlier, Minty had emerged from the depths of Bank of America Stadium and stepped onto a platform on the main concourse. His blue cape flowed behind him, his “M” chain necklace swayed around where his neck would be, and his crown rested crookedly on his head but never slipped. Despite his bulky black shoes, he pushed on with a skip in his step and an unwavering — and permanent — smile.
“Look at him,” one man said as he gestured to Sir Minty. “He’s royalty.”
Not all fans shared their enthusiasm. Some at the game didn’t even know Minty existed.
“That’s terrifying,” said one woman when shown a picture of Minty.
“With all of the marketing team Charlotte FC has, they can do better,” opined her friend.
“What the f— is that?” another woman criticized. “They just couldn’t think of anything better?”
Who is he? Sir Minty is an enigma in the Charlotte sports world. The team is saying nothing about his origin story, or even the meaning behind his name. (We assume he was named Minty because the team plays at a stadium on Mint Street.) It’s hard to pin down the date when he was introduced as part of the team, but sources say he made an appearance at a party before the team’s first game, and he appears to have made his Twitter debut on April 10.
Woody Wilder, director of communications for Charlotte FC, wouldn’t budge when grilled about the history behind the mascot and his place in the Charlotte FC’s promotion machine.
Details are coming “very soon,” is all he would say.
Before Sir Minty became the mascot, Charlotte FC asked fans on Twitter about whether they wanted a mascot. Some argued that Charlotte didn’t need one, according to a blog post from Mint City Collective, the largest Charlotte FC fan club. Other fans threw around some options, including “Gary the Glider,” a queen and a coin. A soccer ball was not among the suggestions.
A low-key rollout? Mascots aren’t as big a deal in the pro soccer world as they are in other leagues, like the NFL or NBA, and indeed, Sir Minty is no social media diva like the Panthers’ Sir Purr (who is Instagram certified) or the Hornets’ Hugo. The number of Minty’s appearances on the Charlotte FC Instagram account can be counted on one hand. On National Mascot Day, the account posted a close-up picture of Sir Minty that showed only his eyes and smile. If you didn’t know him, it would probably be hard to tell that he was even a soccer ball.
Sir Minty is a little more present on Twitter. The team’s account tweeted a meme of miniature Minty figures in space earlier this month after none of its players were chosen for the MLS all-star team. He also briefly appears in some of the team’s hype videos and was recently featured in a giveaway video on the Charlotte FC Chief Fan Officer account.
The comments that follow social media posts featuring Sir Minty are a mixed bunch, revealing that Sir Minty, like many public figures, has both haters and supporters. He’s getting ribbing from other teams, too.
On April Fools’ Day, Atlanta FC announced a fake mascot — “Trainy McTrainface” — which the club president joked was inspired by the successful and creative mascots at other clubs such as Nashville (“their coyote has been a real hit”), Orlando (“the lion at Orlando — built like a brick house, it’s unbelievable”) and Charlotte (“Wow, their mascot is just amazing. Real innovation: it’s, uh, it’s like a soccer ball with a face on it. It’s just incredible.”)
No merch, no sideline cheering: Mascots are meant to build on a team’s identity, and in other leagues, they can be seen on the sidelines during play, interacting with fans in the stands and dancing with cheerleaders. Most even have merchandise with their image on it.
Sir Minty is different. He doesn’t stroll the stands during the match (his rotund shape makes it hard to walk up and down stairs). He doesn’t even travel with the team, and he made only two appearances at the Chelsea match, once before the game started and once more during halftime. For other home matches, Sir Minty also joins the team and families on the field after the game — but that’s the only time he touches the turf.
Other teams in the MLS have mascots, too, but they’re either animals or humans, like Tex Hooper, a bull from FC Dallas, and Timber Joey, a lumberjack from the Portland Timbers. There are numerous blog posts that rank the league’s mascots, but Sir Minty is still too new to appear on the MLS mascot radar.
And perhaps the biggest question is, when will he take his place among Charlotte’s big-time mascots, joining the ranks of Sir Purr, Hugo and the Charlotte Knights’ Homer?
Maybe sooner rather than later. Sir Minty has already made it on a mural in South End with well-known Charlotte sports mascots.
But judging from the modest crowds he drew during the Chelsea FC game, it’ll take some time to get that ball rolling.
Lindsey Banks is a staff reporter for The Ledger: lindsey@cltledger.com
Goalkeeper Kahlina after 4-0 loss: We’ll move on, but bad feelings linger
It’s been generally a strong season for goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, the “Croatian sensation” who has made some amazing saves.
But the four goals allowed last week in Toronto are the most the team has given up all season. Yes, it’s a team sport, but the weight of opponents’ goals falls most heavily on goalkeepers.
Kahlina told reporters that he’ll put the game behind him and move on — but that it’s hard to forget entirely.
“This is the most difficult thing in football. You can say, ‘OK, we must move on. We must forget this game.’ But sometimes, here inside [touches heart], stays this bad feeling.”
He said the Miami game from two weeks ago still stays “in my heart.” In case you’ve put that game in your memory hole, that’s the one from two weeks ago where Charlotte FC led on the road 2-0 in the second half but lost 3-2.
Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina (in orange) said it’s hard to forget tough losses, like the 3-2 collapse in Miami earlier this month. (Photo by Kevin Young/The 5 and 2 Project)
But Kahlina said he and the team will move forward: “In front of us is a very important three games. [If we keep thinking about] these games, how we lost, then we will lose more points in front of us, and we don’t want this.”
He also discussed the frustrations at times of not being able to do more to help the team, since goalkeepers have one main job and only split-seconds to make a difference:
When it comes to a game like Toronto, after the game I felt that I didn’t help the team. I cannot help the team like some players can. They can run, they can fight. … [When] we lose, [you can say about] some players, “He showed that he fights.”
From my side, how can I fight? I cannot go on the field and jump — I can be in the goal, I can save it, or I will not save it. I cannot run, I cannot show more things like the [position] players. This is the most painful. In games like this, I stay in the back. I can speak with them to support them. If I don’t support them with my saves, it is very difficult.
Coach Christian Lattanzio called Kahlina “a very competitive guy. He’s very demanding, starting with himself. He’s going to put the same demand to the team, to everybody. That’s good, that what we want.” —TM
Labor of love: Contractions start, couple fires up Toronto game on iPad in maternity ward
Soccer fan Justin Lee had being making the three-hour trek from Cherokee, N.C., to most of the Charlotte FC home games at Bank of America Stadium this season. He’s on the board of the supporters group Southbound & Crown, where he is known as “Pancake Papi,” a nickname he acquired around Cherokee that has since caught on.
But with his wife, Haley Cooper, 9 months pregnant, the couple started watching all the games at home. And when Haley’s contractions started last Saturday, they weren’t about to give up watching the game together just because their baby was on the way.
So when they got into the room at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva, they hooked up their iPad and tuned in. Then the contractions started picking up. “That’s when they were really starting to hit,” Lee said.
Charlotte FC lost 4-0, which disappointed the couple, who met playing pick-up soccer in Cherokee. But the feelings of sadness likely soon faded, as their first child, son Kanati Lee-Cooper, was born the following afternoon. (“Kanati” is a traditional Cherokee name, Lee explained.)
The family is back home now, and Lee is finding that dad life is different than fan life: “Got to experience the getting peed on while changing a 💩 diaper already 😂😂” he wrote on Twitter. —TM
‘No Fuchs Given’ beer can: Will the N.C. ABC Commission give a you-know-what?
Resident Culture Brewing this week sent out a news release saying that its new “No Fuchs Given” lager will be available at upcoming Charlotte FC home games. It’s named after star veteran Christian Fuchs, who has developed a “lifestyle brand” around the “No Fuchs Given” phrase.
The announcement touts the beer as a “crisp, smooth and refreshing” lager, with 4.8% alcohol by volume, and says it is “available in a 16 oz. (pint) can.”
Knowing that the N.C. ABC Commission is sometimes a stickler for eyebrow-raising alcohol names, we reached out to state alcohol regulators to ask if the “No Fuchs Given” can labels have been approved. ABC Commission spokesman Jeff Strickland told us via email on Thursday:
The product application packet for “No Fuchs Given” was received by the ABC Commission on July 22 and is still in the queue to be processed by our products team. … A product that has not been approved cannot be sold in NC.
[UPDATE: The N.C. ABC Commission says it approved the “No Fuchs Given” label on Friday, after this article was originally published. — 7/29/22 9:18 p.m.]
North Carolina law says that labels cannot depict the use of alcohol in a way that is “undignified, immodest, or in bad taste.”
A news release from Resident Culture this week said the “No Fuchs Given” cans were designed by in-house staff artist Maryssa Pickett. Christian Fuchs was quoted as saying that “No Fuchs Given” phrase is a “bold mindset to live your life with freedom and joy.” (Photo by Proof of Prey)
The Charlotte Ledger reported in 2019 that alcohol labels rejected in North Carolina included a California distributor’s “Hello Kitty” wine, a Utah brewery’s “Polygamy Porter,” Sycamore Brewing’s “Cashmere Kush Double Milkshake India Pale Ale,” Wooden Robot’s “Daddy Needs His Juice” and two beers from Unknown Brewing advertised as containing cannabidiol.
A Resident Culture spokeswoman was not immediately able to say if the beers are expected to be sold in cans at the stadium. The release said the beer would be available at Bank of America Stadium starting on Saturday’s game against Columbus. —TM
Up Next: Columbus Crew (7-5-9) at Charlotte FC (8-12-2)
When/Where: 7 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
How to watch: WAXN (Channel 64), Telemundo, or live stream at www.charlottefootballclub/live or on the Charlotte FC app. Local restrictions apply.
Notable:
Columbus, which is in 6th place in the Eastern Conference — two spots above Charlotte FC — hasn’t lost a game since May 21. Since then, it has had 4 wins and 5 ties, including a 1-1 game against Charlotte FC in Ohio on June 18.
As expected, Charlotte FC waived midfielder Titi Ortiz this week. The Argentine played in 15 MLS games, scored one goal and added two assists. The team said in a news release: “The club would like to thank Titi for his time in Charlotte and wishes him the best in the future.”
Kamil Jozwiak, who hurt his ankle in last week’s game at Toronto, is questionable for Saturday.
Forward Kerwin Vargas’ availability for Saturday’s game against Columbus is unclear. He was injured this week in practice. Coach Christian Lattanzio said Thursday: “I don’t think it should be anything too serious. Whether he’s going to be available for this weekend, I’m not sure yet.”
Our Carroll Walton was one of several Charlotte FC writers who weighed in with predictions for the rest of the season. TopBin90 compiled the predictions on its website. The picks point toward Charlotte FC as “a team capable of making the playoffs, but still suffering from growth spurts and some poor results early in the season,” the website said.
Fútbol Friday writer Carroll Walton is off this week. This week’s edition was assembled by Lindsey Banks and Tony Mecia. Thankfully, Carroll will be back next week.
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