Curiosity
mascot not fat enough: gets canned after losing weight
mascot not fat enough: gets canned after losing weight
Downsizing yourself to save your life is a bad thing. Bizarre as it sounds, unfortunately its true for Lenny Berry of Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire, Britain. Loyalty and length of employment held no weight at all for the football mascot of the Bradford City club.
A complete opposite of what you would expect in casting requirements. Dropping 70 pounds in 11 months to combat the effects of diabetes erased the persona of Berry’s City Gent character modeled after a past club chairman. The role requires a beefy guy with a healthy beer belly sporting a bowler hat and briefcase to interact with fans in the stadium and at charity events.
Club bosses gave him an ultimatum, wear a sumo suit under his uniform to continue working at games only or lose his job. Maintaining his City Gent persona sans restrictions placed on Berry’s previously enjoyed relationship with football fans meant running the risk of going blind, losing limbs, kidney disease, strokes and other health problems.
Like anyone who has succeeded at dropping 70 pounds, Lenny wasn’t keen to run around in fake fat, which would have looked ridiculous with his no longer chubby face.
Mr Berry has dressed up in character for Bradford City FC since 1994 but when he lost weight, club bosses told him he ‘no longer matched the original concept’ of the mascot ‘City Gent’
On The Web:
Bradford City FC mascot loses his job of 19 years because he became ‘too thin’ after losing seven stone to combat his diabetes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2385349/Mascot-fat-Bradford-City-FC-City-Gent-Lenny-Berry-sacked-losing-7-stone.html
