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Sparky The Arizona State Mascot Jumps On A Dude's Back To Photobomb Him, Turns Out He Was A City Councilman Fresh Off Back Surgery

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PAC12 BlogIn a typical year, zero employees from the city of Tempe, Arizona, are sent to the hospital for mascot-related photobombing injuries. Well, except this year.

Tempe City Councilman David Schapira is home resting after Sparky, the Arizona State mascot, jumped on his back Friday night before halftime of the ASU-New Mexico game. Unknown to Sparky, however, was that Schapira was still recovering from back surgery in July.

The enthusiastic, yet ultimately ill-fated piggybacking led to a muscle tear that is expected to delay Schapira’s recovery by four to six weeks.

“From what my wife described, he kind of ran across the field and full-on leaped,” Schapira told ESPN.com Thursday. “I’m 6-foot-5 and Sparky has got to be about 5-6. He took a full jump and landed squarely on my back, probably thinking, ‘This is a big guy; he can take it.’ Little did he know I had back surgery a couple months earlier.”

Fucking mascots man. Fucking Sparky. Can you imagine being this gigantic Arizona State fan and showing up to your first game all pumped up, fresh off back surgery and so excited to be out in the fresh air again, and the first thing that happens is some dumbass 19 year old in a cartoon costume sneaks up on you, jumps on you and immediately re-tears all the muscles in your back? Another 4-6 weeks recovery time!

The Councilman just laughed it off and was a pretty good sport about it.

“I feel bad for the kid,” Schapira said. “I’ve known someone who has played Sparky and I know it’s typically an undergraduate. I know he felt terrible and I felt bad for him feeling bad for me.

“If it had been Wilbur the Wildcat on my back, I would be livid right now.”

Nice guy. Kind of wish he was a total asshole though who demanded Sparky be arrested and hauled down to the station in full uniform then pressed charges and demanded a congressional investigation into the ASU Mascot Program where this kid was forced to remove his devil head and apologize to the entire nation for his actions. Would have been way more fun than just laughing it off and forgiving him but whatever, that’s just the blogger in me talking, not the human being.

Cue my favorite mascot video.