INDIANAPOLIS — On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts will face the Atlanta Falcons overseas in Berlin, Germany.
However, work is already well underway to help get the team better-acquainted with the people of Germany.
The Colts are one of nearly a dozen NFL teams looking to expand their international fan base in the German market, and team officials said they’re tapping into their “cheat code” for a bit of a boost.
“No other team has this thing, right … this character, this persona,” said Isaac Soares. “You can’t argue with numbers. He’s the most-followed mascot across any league, any team.”
Soares, who’s a mascot specialist with the Indianapolis Colts, will tell you it’s a dream job with quite literally big shoes to fill. Having been in the mascot industry for nearly a decade, he’s taken on the role as Blue for the team overseas.
“Blue’s current mascot coordinator reached out to me and wondered if I wanted to come on for this really cool, crazy experience,” said Soares. “This is a one-of-one job. I don’t know anyone else who’s doing this right now.”
As one of the most notable mascots in professional sports, with a massive social media outreach, team leaders are using Blue as an opportunity to expand the Colts’ footprint internationally.
“We’re trying to bring it in as one giant package, where it’s not just the game, it’s the culture around the game,” said Ben Guerrero, the Colts’ director of international.
Part of the culture, Guerrero said, is building that same Blue experience that’s seen and loved in the states. He said finding the right match to fill Blue’s shoes was not an easy process, nor one they would like to cut corners on.
“I think there’s teams over in Germany that hire local performers, and it may be easier logistically, or even cheaper, because they’re already located over there and don’t have to fly over,” said Guerrero. “But we saw some of the events, and they can’t catch a football. They can’t throw a football, and that’s kind of part of the act that Blue is able to do.”
“Blue is very athletic also,” Guerrero added. “And so having someone that could make those plays, make those throws, and also, we’re trying to educate fans on the football side of things.”
Soares, Guerrero said, was the perfect choice to help build the Blue brand in Germany.
“Isaac is very good at, I think one of the first things I saw was, almost mimicking a lot of the moves and a lot of the, I think, the personality that Blue has,” Guerrero said.
Soares, who will have spent 100 days in Germany by the end of this year, said it’s an intentional effort in making the most of Blue’s time and impact overseas, especially in an area where mascots are not as prominent.
“We have been trying to figure out unique ways to kind of bring Blue over into this market and introduce him in a way that makes sense,” said Soares. “We’ve collaborated with a lot of different teams over there.”
When it comes to Soares’ schedule, no day is the same. As soon as the plane lands, it’s off to work for Blue and his content team. Already, he’s made memorable appearances at some of Berlin’s bigger events, including Formula E and the Berlin Marathon.
With the Colts’ big game against the Falcons now just days away, Soares and Guerrero both said it’s exciting to help paint Germany “Blue” beyond just the football field.
“We have to make sure that we really capture this momentum, and we create some excitement leading into the game, and then also we’re continuing that excitement after the game,” Guerrero said. “The team playing well right now really helps that because there’s an excitement, a natural excitement, on the field, but again, trying to find differentiators for us to make a stand out from other teams.”
“We really want to be like kind of a lifestyle brand over there,” Guerrero added.
“It can only go up from here at this point, and I think that the game will give us a huge platform to really show people what we’re about,” Soares said. “And I think that’s really exciting because there’s no limits to that kind of reach, right? Being able to have a home game in Berlin is a really special opportunity.”