This past Monday, something momentous happened. I was scrolling through the news when I found a story that was the perfect mix of things that interested me. As I fumbled around with my mouse and keyboard, I did everything to click the article as quickly as I could, wishing to believe that I hadn’t been taken in by a gag story. As it loaded, I waited in anticipation, eager to know just what was going on…
As the video loaded, I discovered that it was the genuine article: Cal State Long Beach OFFICIALLY had a new mascot whose name was Elbee.
On the one hand, it seemed like a very odd time to introduce a mascot to the general public. Most, if any, learning is being done exclusively online and I am sure that their sports division is closed for the semester (at least). There is nobody for Elbee to do business with.
However, it was only the tip of a bigger iceberg, the one that got me excited to do a deep dive, typing in “Elbee” wherever would have me. I became obsessed with learning everything that I could about him because, well, I love Long Beach and I love mascots. It’s rare that they produce something as serendipitous as this.
To provide some further bias going forward, I am a college student who is applying to CSULB. I was rejected in 2019 and am eager to get there with slightly improved chances. I personally love the school and feel it is a shining beacon for this city. I like watching basketball games at The Pyramid, and The Carpenter Center’s selection in seasonal entertainment is often high-end. I have a strong affection for this school and I had twinges of familiar joy watching Elbee wander around the campus as if looking for the only other microorganism there.
On the surface, I like Elbee. I feel that in a lot of ways he fits with the current student mentality. I also love the overconfidence and the willingness to immediately add Elbee merch to the stores. They’re even given an authentic mascot biography that, while not the richest, features such wonderful facts as:
Origins: Belmont Shore
Number: 49
Pronoun Preference: they/their/them
Activities Include: swimming, studying, sinking teeth into some healthy competition
That sounds perfectly adequate, right? Here are some other things to consider in the “Why?” department for picking a shark as CSULB’s latest venture. The most noteworthy is that they have a great oceanography department that deals a lot with sharks. Similarly, an alumnus of the school includes Steven Spielberg, the famous director of Jaws (1975). Finally, in the most abstract of them all, they’re a team called The Beach, so… sharks have a great relationship with beaches, right (see the previous sentence for irony)?
If that was your only criteria, there would be no reason to really hate Elbee. However, I soon found myself down a rabbit hole of animosity. Mind you, Elbee hasn’t been public for more than a few DAYS at this point and already I’ve read comments on YouTube and Twitter having alumni argue one of three things: it’s an embarrassment and we’re not donating money anymore, it’s cool and progressive, or (the most enjoyable response of all) it’s a shark, get over it.
I’ll admit that the costume isn’t the most aspiring outfit that I’ve ever seen. There is something bulky about it and the head looks a bit disconnected from the body. The closer you look, the more you may find issues with the aesthetic, notably that it doesn’t have full use of the university’s black and gold color scheme. Even their logo has been ripped to shreds for how much it looks like a friendly, cheap design for daycares. People have used basic Photoshop to create more appropriate decals. I personally believe that Elbee deserves better, but… they’re the victim of a losing game.
A lot of my research is pulled from a variety of local reporting, such as The Long Beach Post, The Daily 49er, and a YouTube video of The Hi-Lo that spend a good half hour having alumni tear apart the very fabric of this decision. Again, the comments were an amusing mix of scathing remarks and those who defiantly said “I like it.” Though, if I’m being honest, anyone who falls more towards the journalism side of things in this discussion isn’t exactly singing praises.
Elbee is confusing because CSULB is confusing. Before I get into the origin story, I thought that I would share a few contradictions. The school goes by many names: Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach State, or even The Beach. The school team is The Beach, except when it’s The Dirtbags in baseball. Meanwhile, Elbee’s profile page has to strictly state that CSULB isn’t changing their team to The Sharks, thus… does it really matter? It’s likely that students care more about Katy Perry’s left shark than Elbee.
Then there’s the welcome message. The video proudly says “Welcome #49.” With an LB embroidered on their chest, Elbee is a team player. Only, it feels a bit strange to even get into the history of that number: 49. In California's history, the state earned that name due to gold being discovered in 1849. The school, meanwhile, was founded in 1949 and was sold on the idea of “striking gold” for education. Thus, the 49ers were born and their original mascot (an eventually named Prospector Pete) was born, given a statue to honor his place in this school’s legacy.
To an outsider, calling Elbee #49 may be innocuous. However, it does feel like it drags up a lot of bad blood that questions the very reason for they’re existence. The idea of removing Prospector Pete from the school’s identity was due to a rise in cultural sensitivity, believing that prospectors were abusive to indigenous people. And yet, CSULB will proudly declare that anyone wanting to be a 49er can be a 49er. It’s just that poor Prospector Pete was symbolic now of a hate crime and, in 2018, his replacement was voted upon by the student body.
Regardless of the outcome, my heart goes out to the true hero of this story: Antonio Arrendondo. When asked what the mascot should be, he stuck up for the little guy:
“They should be a squirrel. We have squirrels on campus. We have squirrel gear. I already have a squirrel hat. I’m not buying another one, so we’re getting squirrels. That’s it.”
If only Arrendondo got his wish, the world would be a better place. Squirrels are, by nature, more cuddly and enjoyable than sharks and thus would make for great mascots. If there was some way to create an Adopt a Mascot program to get Squirrel Girl to CSULB, I would sign in a heartbeat. With that said, this may be the biggest flub in the whole story.*
*So what if squirrels don’t live on the beach? They live close enough, right?
I am not here to get into semantics as to whether Prospector Pete is racist. While I have affection for the school, I am still distant enough that lineage and history mean little to me on a personal level. I see it like The Washington Redskins debacle that’s going on. It’s just a random detail that needs updating to reflect changing attitudes.
That is why it becomes conflicting to discover this rollout and realize that if I finally get accepted this time, I will be going in a Post-Elbee timeline. There is a good chance that I’ll run into them on the way to class and do that thing where we look at each other and nod in approval. We’re one and the same, students doing everything to get through this struggle together.
For the most part, I can’t fault Elbee because they’re the result of democracy at its core. The students clearly voted for this. They wanted this. It may come across as a safe bet, though it’s interesting to see if those stuck-up alumni actually dismantle their donations because of one goofy part of their history.
Another thing that has been a lot of fun about Elbee’s coming-out party was the number of comments received regarding their likeness. To some, Elbee is reminiscent of Bruce from Finding Nemo (2003). To others, they’re Jabberjaw. Others go after the strange non-binary nature of Elbee, questioning why a mascot meant to rally up crowds is predatory and is commonly known for being silent. I think there’s room for interpretation here, but it’s been fascinating to notice how Elbee differs even in the LGBT+ community, with some loving the representation while others thinking… it’s a shark, get over it.
The only truly revolutionary thing that I’ve read regarding Elbee is a desire to give them the last name of Sea, to become a play on LBC. Will that redeem the bigger picture? I don’t know, but it will make future video essays chronicling Elbee’s life story much easier when they get to use Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” as he sings: “With so much drama in the LBC…”
Then again, that’s too brilliant for Elbee.
Depending on who you ask, Elbee’s underwhelming nature is the result of committee voting or outsiders who don’t really care about CSULB as a school. After all, there’s so much diversity in what you’d even call the school, so it makes sense that there’s no streamlined way of talking about this.
Which brings me to my personal feelings. As I look into Elbee’s toothy smile, wandering around campus looking for somebody that likes them, I can only wish them the best going forward. The life of a new mascot is difficult, especially in a situation where they can’t please everyone. It doesn’t help that they launched their platform at a time when nobody’s at school, leaving them to sit alone courtside, hearing a faint ghost ball drop through the net. Poor Elbee. They deserved a greater announcement than this moment.
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| He also has a wagon |
So for now, it’s difficult to predict what the career of Elbee will ultimately be. There are some predictions that I have, notably that they will be at games doing some clever “Baby Shark” routine years from now. They will dance around, existing alongside the other novelty Beach stuff that they do at games. After all, CSULB is more free-spirit at these events, and that allows for something that feels as wacky as Elbee to fit into their world. What they lack in ferocity that would make anyone but The Stanford Tree crumble (to be honest, Condordia’s Cobber is more fierce), they more than make up for in likeliness to reach out to a sad fan in the crowd and say “everything will be all right.”
That’s the misunderstood thing about Elbee. They seem designed not to bring out the machismo, but the fun. Imagine, if you will, being in The Pyramid and having Elbee spike a beach ball through the air. How sweet would it be that we lived in a time where that happened? It doesn’t have to make sense. Frankly, it’s just another thing to add to the rich mythology, making you realize that this is, even if unintentionally, the byproduct of Jaws.
We all try to be tough sometimes, and Elbee embodies that perfectly. The only thing is that once we all let our guard down, the fun can begin. While they’re unfortunately not a squirrel (one day, Arrendondo, one day), they’re not the worst thing to be associated with a team named for The Beach. That’s a goofy name already. There’s no way that you can make that cool. Eventually, you just have to embrace it, knowing that Elbee will always play second-fiddle to everything else at that massive school. At no point will they ever be anything more than an “Oh yeah” type of figure. The sooner that you can accept that the sooner you can remember what makes mascots great in the first place. It isn’t the level of creativity, it’s their cartoonish piece of lore in a more serious puzzle.
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