UMSL photographer August Jennewein creates his own version of the so-called “Rally Squirrel.”
Who would have guessed that a squirrel in Busch Stadium during the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies would have made such an impact.
A few brief appearances in game 3 and then an encore showing as he scooted across home plate while St. Louis Cardinals Skip Schumaker was at bat against Phillies right-hander Roy Oswalt in game 4 has lifted the squirrel to national stardom, united a baseball city and brought smiles to the faces of local businesses who have the opportunity to cash in on the so-called “Rally Squirrel” phenomena.
Haim Mano, associate professor of marketing at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, said the Rally Squirrel craze is good for baseball, fans and economy. He wasquoted in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the lack of copyright on the squirrel allowing area vendors to profit off the gimmick.
“It’s the perfect storm,” Mano said. “You have a great baseball town, with wonderful fans, a team that was behind and fans that didn’t give up. And then the squirrel appears, and it all sort of came together.”
The Rally Squirrel has more than 27,000 followers on Twitter, t-shirts and squirrel tails are popping up throughout St. Louis and local food is being named after the squirrel.
“We have a lot of individuals with entrepreneurial spirit, and they are seeing the value of this,” he said. “It’s goods energy for both the consumers and the businesses.”
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