An AI Program Generated Methodical Creature Mascots For Every NFL Team, And The Results Are Spectacular
Stumbled upon this thread in the wee hours of the morning and thought it was pretty damn cool. And of course, the fact that it fits into one of the more iconic Barstool Sports podcast clips of 2023 doesn't hurt either.
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Figured I'd space out the Twitter thread I discovered these methodical creatures on, and now here are the few clusters who are my favorites:
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All the winged representatives look so badass. The Cardinals, Eagles and Falcons stand out for their striking designs, as do the Ravens, much as it pains me to say it. At least my Bengals got that terrorizing tiger representing Who Dey Nation. Speaking of winged mascots, though, you've almost got a pseudo-Aquaman villain situation going on with that Seahawks dude. Badass.
The Titans look like a mashup of Thanos and The Hulk. I don't know what the hell the Commanders are supposed to be but I love the long, flowing locks and intimidating warrior's gaze.
I can't stop laughing at the Broncos, though. So fitting that would be the most awkward one since they have the most awkward quarterback ever, Russell Wilson. The AI should've taken a page out of the Colts' playbook, with their Ultron-looking cavalry guy.
As a Star Wars nerd, one of the best is the Cowboys' design. Their supervillain avatar looks like Cad Bane on steroids and I'm so here for it. If that ain't the perfect representation of America's Team, I don't know what is. All the way down to how masterfully Cad was built up in the animated series, only to go out like a punk in The Book of Boba Fett. Spoilers for a TV show that released more than a year ago.
The 49ers look like Satan incarnate. That's apropos for the hell they unleash on opponents defensively. And I think my two absolute favorites are the Pirates of the Caribbean-style greatness of the Bucs creation, and the upright, human-hybrid Dolphin who's representing Miami. That thing is terrifying.
Not all of 'em are hits, of course. Not sure what the Packers' thing is even supposed to be. Then again, how do you create a supervillain out of a Packer? Quite a challenge. Same goes for the Browns. They're like a knockoff Doomsday. I would've played up the Dawg Pound angle and gone with a dog head but to each artificial intelligence their own.
It's fascinating to mull over all this and how much prevalence AI has and will have going forward. I'm not getting political whatsoever on here because that's a death sentence, but when the POTUS is literally tweeting about AI and subtextually referencing the perils and pitfalls of a Skynet scenario, you know it's a big deal.
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Beyond the practical, real-world applications, it'll be crazy to see what AI does to the creative arts. Between the way-too-good deepfakes and independently generated artwork alone, there's a myriad of implications to drink in. Pretty soon we'll all be numbed out in perpetual VR, floating lazily on high-tech lily pads a la WALL-E and not even wondering what the hell happened once the technological singularity hits.
But until then, let's enjoy the real world!! And in all seriousness, some of these mascots should be deployed IRL. Or some four-quadrant, kid-friendlier versions of what we see here. Don't necessarily have to be supervillainous in nature. At least a few of them make way more sense than whatever the current teams are trotting out as of now.
What if there was like actual artistic craftsmanship put into mascot costumes? How dope would that be? The wild Raiders folks who dress up look way cooler than 99% of mascots in any sport. Just some food for thought.
To be fair, I like the Houston Texans' mascot Toro. As awesome as their AI creation looks, probably better to stick with the smiley version of the bull they have now. Speaking of the Texans, please read…
Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok