Social Media Sounds Off After Flyers Unveil New Mascot Gritty

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Flyers unveiled their new mascot on Monday and it's interesting to say the least.

The Flyers welcomed Gritty into the fold during an event at the Please Touch Museum, in front of over 600 students from the Philadelphia School District.

Gritty is a 7-foot-tall, orange, fuzzy creature "who who will take an active role in embracing the Flyers community outreach initiatives in the Greater Philadelphia Region."

"We are proud to introduce Gritty and welcome a full-time mascot program to our community engagement initiatives," said Shawn Tilger, chief operating officer for the Flyers, in a statement. "The Flyers have a consistent and active presence in the market through events with our players, wives, alumni and fan development programs, and we see this as a natural progression to keep us active year-round in and outside of our sport.

Gritty will make its debut tonight Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center as the Flyers take on the Boston Bruins.

After the announcement, social media had some thoughts about Gritty. A petition was even made on change.org to get rid of the new mascot.

In:
• NHL
• Philadelphia Flyers