archived form does not constitute a republication of the story. I miss the fans, but honestly, theres a part of me that enjoys being home on the weekends, he said. You started mascotting in 93, and thats not when you came to the Jazz and was way before when you did everything else? Because his whole career was spent working nights and weekends, and sacrificing his family and his body. . I couldnt believe they allowed it. Honestly, the biggest part that kept me out of so many injuries was my flexibility, which I did almost every day. Jazz Bear. I was like, I got to get a bigger ladder. Thats when we pulled out the 25-footer. Jon Absey wore the Jazz Bear suit well, there were nine of them for almost 25 years. She was one of my dearest friends. But one inebriated Rockets fan took the feud to the next level by dumping his beer on the Utah Bear. I started in 93. Young basketball fans getting the opportunity to play musical chairs on TV with their favorite NBA mascot from the Utah Jazz sounds like a lovely promotional event. The Jazz Bear unmasked Incidentally, he was also fired from his very first job as a mascot for the CBA for all those stunts he tried out. "The Jazz Bear will continue to be one of the most iconic mascots in . This goes to show the people what Karl Malone, Mark Eaton, and Mark Atkins, how to look out for others. Did you conceive the idea of a bear or how did that idea come to fruition? Take us back to the day when the buses would show up and the fire department had their lights and sirens go on. Im not topping that. You have that same reputation. But then he got on a bull at the Days of 47 Rodeo. I had a dancer from the Winnipeg Thunder that was not strapped in or anything was holding onto me, and Im holding onto her. "share", Jazz Bear is the mascot for the Utah Jazz, a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise based in Salt Lake City, Utah. We do not discuss individual personnel matters.. minutes. I sat there and I was like, It doesnt feel right.. This answer is: For everybody out there, something that you did, Dan, is you have the people like the old players and how everybody was so nice. Thats where it all started as just an idea to raise money to be able to take kids shopping. On this night, for some reason, I didnt get up there in time and I did it blindly. But he said he realized everyone could be just one management change from being let go. Its not the same Jazz Bear. When asked to lean the cake over to give the crowd a better view, the bear tilted it over a little too much, sending the baked good hurling down several feet to . I wrapped my hand in, we do the practice, but I did it off a ladder that was probably fourteen feet. He needs all the help he can get, but Jon doesnt need any help. We slid all the way across the cement. God bless their souls, Stephen and Minnie, they were this older couple that would always come down to the cage and bring Luke and me drinks and cookies. However, on October 19, 2018 it was reported that Jon Absey, who had performed as the Jazz Bear for twenty-four years, had been fired for unknown reasons. Until October 2018: "I was told they were going in a different direction. "label":"Spotify" : The Utah Jazz mascot, Bear, performs during a time out of their game against the Denver Nuggets during Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2010 NBA Playoffs at EnergySolutions Arena on April 30, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Read my story below. It was nice that mascots around the country would support me. Im almost ready to tap out. How long does it take you to come back and start talking instead of holding a grudge? Spencer Lund January 14, 2014. "style":"regular", For everybody out there, take that step and give it a shot. Its funny because when you talk about people with your stature and what youve done, you dont always hear it. It's the first time he's spoken about his time in the . From high school, then what happened? The man behind Jazz Bear, the reigning Mascot of the Year, has been fired after almost a quarter-century with the team due to a rift with the organization, according to multiple reports out of Utah. The Utah Jazz have fired Jon Absey, who portrayed the teams Jazz Bear mascot for 24 years. They are those guys that are strictly athletic and work for the crowd a little bit. "They thought I was either going to kill myself or kill a fan," he said. I dont care about appearances. "We wont disclose his identity" says the boss of Jon Asbey, the identity of the Utah Jazz Bear . The Phillie Phanatic is one and its not a cheap suit, but thats technically where it goes because it limits your ability a lot. Who is the individual when you go to a sporting event and you see this mascot perform, engage the audience, and cheer on that home crowd to give us the home field or home court advantage? Youre so important to our community, and you always will be. Kay Malone answers the door and my sweet mother says, Hi, Im Ruby Clark. During the Utah Jazz's recent match against the Huston Rockets, the Jazz's mascot, which is creatively named the Jazz Bear, shot silly string at fans during the half-time interval. It wasnt for a number of years later that the boss or Marcy came in and shes like, I found out that Sacred Heart doesnt have a gymnastics team. What I would do is I would go in and I would watch what other coaches were doing. Hes in the Mascot Hall of Fame, but more importantly, hes a husband, a father, and a philanthropist. Jimbo, by virtue of being recently featured in the Deseret News, is now the world's most famous Utah-based basketball mailbag artist. He was the old Phoenix Gorilla. Behind every successful husband is an astonished mother-in-law. Thats when I realized I got a great guardian angel. I remember Stephen and Minnie going out one night and they had asked Greg Foster if hed wanted to come over for dinner. I was always so excited. The Bear has suffered many injuries while performing, including tearing his bicep and rupturing a tendon in his calf. Out of respect for his character, which is separate from any employee ever associated with it, we have never discussed his identity. . The fans and the team were so accepting of the character and I appreciated that. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Bleacher Creatures Milwaukee Bucks Bango 10" Mascot Plush Figure - Signed at the best online prices at eBay! He was originally designed to be a cartoon character, but the idea was scrapped in favor of a real-life mascot. This man pulled up in this car. They said, What did he look like? Theyre describing this huge superstar kind, teddy bear. How do you want to be remembered? What happened is sports teams started glorifying these guys so much and paying them such big amounts of money, and then what they did was they put a bigger wedge between the fans and the players. I loved always pushing myself because I felt as if the day that I stopped pushing myself and I was not excited to try and do something new was the day that I got to hang it up. In this Read more, Listen to the podcast here After serving in a church mission,Devaughn Velefelt inspired to return to football. The Bear has suffered many injuries while performing, including tearing his bicep and rupturing a tendon in his calf." We appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into being the. Absey did handstands on a 23-foot tall ladder, rappeled from the ceiling, and slid down the stairs. Join us as we welcome our special guest, Jon Absey, the former Utah Jazz Bear mascot. When I put on the suit, a lot of fear went away, said Absey. And then listen to the full conversation in this link! I just did the stuff that everybody thinks about doing, but cant, he said. I got smart when I got to the Jazz as I started putting two sleds together and put a wood board in the middle of them so that it was more solid. All celebrating kids who couldnt have a Christmas and wouldnt have the means with their parents, you provided that for them. Subscribe and listen free anywhere you listen to podcasts. "overcast":{ That was one of the moments where I was like, Im going to show him. I would grab people and haul him out on the court because it was like, This is what makes fans, fans, being able to interact and come on the court. Visualize this, a basketball arena, cement stairs, railings going down the side, people and me away from being taken out by a sledding mascot in a costume, looking out the window, whatever it looks like, and somehow navigating straight down the steps going in about 30, 20 or 50 miles an hour. Out of respect for its character, which is separate from any employee ever associated with it, we have never discussed its identity. "imageUrl":"", People like you and Andy Chudd were a huge part of that. A farm boy, Absey picked up that first mascot job at Morehouse State College for $25. No, but when we have arguments with our spouses or significant others, we call it the rebound rate. As we wind down, give us an inside glimpse of what happens when you raise the money at the Mascot Bowl and what happens when we team up with the fire department. How did you come up with that idea? Give us the inside scoop of the Mascot Bowl. Showcased by his countless hours of community and public service, and his incredible respect and standing as an important citizen of Utah who has won eight Mascot Leadership Awards. Teach us about that concept and maybe pay tribute to the great Mark Eaton, who participated with you in a little bit of a way. The thing that I was fortunate about is my eyes and I got it from the Phoenix Gorilla. I remember Gordon Hayward was there before I left and he said he didnt like the fans that close to the court. He also does a lot of charity work. I was like, If we can make this industry stronger and better, itll help all of us. Five guys showed up the first year, and then as time passed, it turned into the conference you had to attend. He didnt try to be anyone else or act like someone else in the suit. Sponsored. Frank Zang, the spokesperson for the Utah Jazz, did not tell News4Utah why he was let go and said the man's identity has never been released, out of respect for the character. Jazz Bear will continue to be one of the most iconic mascots in the NBA, a Jazz spokesperson said in a statement. Absey is telling all in a new podcast called "Return to Real.". The only thing I had is I had a nose that dropped my lower peripheral. When I would submit my stuff, Luke would always say, Why do you keep showing them the stuff youre doing? I know this pushed me and Im glad I did it because it worked. In a 2010 interview with the Deseret News, Absey said as a result of his performances he has bone spurs in both ankles, broke his big toe, tore his right calf, blew out his right knee, tore both hamstrings, had hernia and back surgeries, ripped tendons in two fingers, blew out both bursa sacs and required stitches. Thats why I like a lot of these minor league sports teams like the Warriors here and Utah Grizzlies, those are players that they want to elevate, but they still understand that its those fans in the seats that are making us have the ability to play and hopefully get to their goal. I am a better man, human being, father, and husband who have had a chance to hang out with you. Jazz forward Rudy Gay powered through two Oklahoma City defenders for a second-quarter layup as Utah fights back against the Thunder. She grabbed another one and she goes to me, Am I done now?. He was 1 of the 3 highest-paid professional baseball players in the entire league. When I started, I wanted to find my own path. It was so fun. "subscribe":{ Check out this Cleveland Cavaliers fan mixing it up with the mascot of the Utah Jazz. It was a rock-climbing thing. According to Eric Woodyard of the Deseret News, a source said Absey was relieved of his role after a "rift with the staff." What is the jazz bears name? I left my head on and it felt funny. The mascot, named Jazz Bear, showed off his talents on the water, doing some impressive waterskiing and wakeboarding in full costume, all to the bangin' lyrics from good ol' Alan himself. I wanted to get off the farm and see what the big city was. How long does it take us to respond once we go into the gym and push ourselves, tear down our muscles, and work on our cardio? After high school, two weeks after I graduated, I went to Minneapolis. Simply put,hes a bear about townin the best possible way. [6][7], "The Bear facts: The Utah Jazz 16-year mascot, Bear, balances life of court jester, charity king", "Utah Governor Declares October 10 as the Utah Jazz Bear 20th Anniversary Day", "Reports: Jazz fire Bear performer after 24 seasons", "Utah Jazz fire longtime employee who played team's Jazz Bear mascot", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jazz_Bear&oldid=1100250002, This page was last edited on 24 July 2022, at 23:38. How old were you when you joined the military? That era changed. 201718 Utah Jazz Media Guide. I was like, I got to top this now. The next year I was like, Im going to do a handstand.. Subscribe and listen free anywhere you listen to podcasts. I remember one time in Spanish class, the teacher didnt show up on time. 9 Why was Jon Absey fired from the Utah Jazz? I do talk about this to some people. Why the Phoenix Suns Gorilla arrived in the winter of 1980 isnt nearly as intriguing as what hes done since he arrived. After spraying two Rockets fans with silly string in between quarters of a game last week, one of the fans reacted by dumping . Why the mascot for the Utah Jazz is a bear.and why is name is simply just "Bear".still baffles me. It is a bull that is blue. We have no respect, no credibility, and please download and share this episode as a simple reminder that Jon Absey is exactly the same in person as he is in that suit. SALT LAKE CITY The man most basketball fans knew as the Jazz Bear for more than two decades is talking about his time in the suit, and why he was fired. Nowadays, you have people and they keep you a distance, but for who you are and for how everybody respects you and for what youve done in your life. I love them for that and they still come to this day. The engaging and fun-loving bear is the cousin to the Utah Jazz mascot Jazz Bear and will be introduced to fans during the second timeout of the first quarter at the Lifetime Activities Center-Bruin Arena on the Salt Lake Community College Taylorsville Campus. The other one was a brown bear because its native to the mountains. I felt like I needed to give back. I'm grateful that the maker of my handmade journals, Utah-based Rustico, became an underwriter. "sticky":false, I would love to see it go back to where a fan could get an autograph or talk to a player. "url":"", Last question, Jon. The Jazz Bear has been their mascot since 1994 and Jon Absey has been behind the costume since the beginning. I almost died four times. He said he never feared anything he could control. Now, its such a different culture. Thank you for that intro. The Jazz did not cite Absey by name, but did confirm his ouster, alerting media that a new mystery person will be inside the Jazz Bear costume when Utah hosts the Golden State Warriors in Fridays home opener. Green and other Brown men had felt a need for a definite symbol for Brown. "label":"RSS" His name is Jim Johnston. Were not talking a little six-foot. Do you remember Roxanne? As a mascot, youll be doing a lot of stunts so you need a great guardian angel to look over you. Theres something as well to this more than taking kids Christmas shopping. But then he got on a bull at the Days of 47 Rodeo. Well be forever grateful. We do not discuss individual personnel matters.". Looking back at everything that I did and how I started, I was fortunate to have the beginning of it all like the perfect management. Over the years, the Jazz Bear has been known for his dangerous stunts, including his iconic sled down the top of the lower bowl of the arena down to the court. I said, If theres a conflict between a charity event, sponsor event, or paid event, I want to do the charity event. I was doing about 325 appearances a year, and they were 99% charity. We admire you. Give me more money? As I teach in my world of culture creation and leadership and sales, if you come from money, you will leave for money. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images). Because Alan's actually playing a show at the Jazz's arena, Vivint Arena. According to the Provo Daily Herald, there are currently more than 350 active walking groups using theWalking School Bus app across the state. "title":"Power Players with Dan Clark", You have no credibility. Bears impact cannot be overstated. They immediately all pointed at me. He is such a stud in every way. POLAR PLUNGE.Watch the latest video from Jazz Bear (@utahjazzbear). Will work a combination of: 45 games (includes pre-season), additional playoff games, rehearsals as needed and select outside . Jon Absey He said, Yes, and he showed up. According to Eric Woodyard of theDeseret News, a source said Absey was relieved of his role after a "rift with the staff. Everyone wish @utahjazzbear a very happy birthday pic.twitter.com/GptYRTuIlW. I sled from the lower bowl at the top all the way down. The first time in my life that I ever got a chance to go into the locker room and watch these guys put on their suits, describe to us how you can see through with the head and, in that process, keep your balance and have situation situational awareness, so you dont fall over or how do you climb a ladder? It was like a playland. It was in the Winnipeg Jets Arena. Like there are three different types of mascots, there are a whole bunch of different types of vision when it comes to a head. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate those kind words and for you letting me come on. When they get married and have children, theyll pass it on to say, We need to get involved in a charity. "Pomp and circumstance were plentiful at Game 5, beginning with . Thank you. Jon Absey, who portrayed the team's Jazz Bear mascot for 24 years. But he can still do the splits at age 52. I would watch him do his backflips and Id say, Do it again, and if I could see it and visualize it, I could do it. I went, I get it! Here's what lawmakers have directed schools to do. Jon Absey wore the Jazz Bear suit well, there were nine of them for almost 25 years. It was hard to get money because I never liked talking to people about who I was. He said he never feared anything he could control. On the same day he was honored, a video of Bear encouraging motorists not to drive like an ape debuted on YouTube. I would jump on board with them and thats where it all started. Although hes now a three-time NBA MOTY and was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame back in 2006, those numbers tell the tale of what Jazz Bear is all about just as much as all the 20-foot ladders hes climbed or trampoline dunks hes thrown down. The Suns Gorilla You wont come back from this 100%. Id be like, Now, its a challenge. Its like when they did my knee, they took my hamstring instead of a cadaver tendon and stuff. Im not out of the military yet, but out of basic training and all this stuff. Why didnt you take me? ], Its an opportunity to entertain people without spending as much as it was back then to go to a game. Jazz Bear is the mascot for the Utah Jazz, a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise based in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was like, Im safe here. Honestly, I thought somebody was going to. only for your personal, non-commercial use. For his part, Absey told multiple local television outlets that he was not fired, but quit. Absey counted up 150 stitches or staples, 10 surgeries, and 27 torn ligaments or muscles over time. He was originally designed to be a cartoon character, but the idea was scrapped in favor of a real-life mascot. I remember hitting the ground, and just running. There could be ten new Jazz Bears in that same suit, and there will never be another Jon Absey, so thank you. You werent above anybody because you got a bigger paycheck. Weve had Andy Chudd describe what the money is used for the other part of the Job Absey charitable conglomerate, but talk to us about the origins of the Mascot Bowl. I went out and I was one of the first guys to bring a ladder on the court and get up on top of signs, and then guys started doing that. My success is watching my children grow up, concluded Absey. His community initiative, Bear Hugs for Kids, is at the forefront of efforts to improve life for a myriad of people throughout the intermountain region. "apple":{ You then have the Phoenix Gorilla and some of the other mascots in the league like Rocky, Crunch, Sacramento, Portland, and Indy, but theyre that mix where youre funny and athletic. Uploaded January 18, 2011. lol mascot whooped him. I love her. I was a Forward Observer and I volunteered. NBA Mascot: When sports teams started glorifying their players, they put a bigger wedge between the fans and the players. The Mascot Assistant represents the Utah Jazz and the Utah Jazz Bear brand and must represent oneself in a professional manner as they interact with Jazz fans in the arena and community. I got a big ladder and Rocky got a big ladder. Long-time Former Jazz Bear tells all https://t.co/maNuOwLk8Q, Mary Richards (@kslmrichards) January 15, 2020. "rewind" Thats basically where I started teaching myself gymnastics. Id always ride in the bucket and Id freeze. Jazz Bear is the club's mascot. I just hope that when Im done, I can be happy knowing that maybe I did change the lives of some children through the charity work that weve done.. This archived news story is available Thank you, Dan. Take us from the beginning. There were a number of times when he would show me how to throw a full-off on a tramp. TikTok. "label":"TuneIn" Who is this human being who comes up with extraordinary ideas and creative ways to get the audience riled up and entertained, especially when there are timeouts and theres nothing worth watching on the field, which is the case of all the teams who have losing records?
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