Put on your finest denim jacket and pour yourself a big glass of maple syrup, because we’ve got a fine Canadian controversy. It involves a man named Rush Hulk—not his real name—who is a fan of the Saskatchewan Rush box lacrosse team.
The man, actually named Kelvin Ooms, wears a mask and Hulk Hands to Rush games. Last year, he wore that getup for a Rush away game in Calgary. This season, he’s looking to add a muscle suit to that outfit for a road trip Rush fans have planned.
And the Calgary Roughnecks won’t let him. The Calgary Herald reports:
Mike Moore, vice-president of the Roughnecks, said that Ooms was welcome to attend the game “as a fan, not as a mascot.”
“We don’t believe it’s proper safety or security to have any official mascot or unofficial mascot of the visiting team in a home venue,” Moore said. “It causes potential security issues and safety issues.”
Moore said there’s a risk Ooms could bump into other fans while dancing or cheering in costume and might provoke unhappy responses.
“He doesn’t know the building. What if he does fall down or if he steps on somebody?” Moore said. “Fans get intense and home fans get protective and when you’ve got mascots from visiting teams.”
Incidentally, Saturday’s game is also Star Wars night. If only he were Rush Vader!