All football and soccer teams in the United States that are located in towns subject to
Television Geography are called the "Wildcats." (Or Cougars, if they want to get specific.) They are typically a
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits who somehow manage to beat the odds and win the big game.
Usually a trope of sitcoms and cartoons.
Definitely
Truth in Television. If it's not the Wildcats, it may well be the Tigers, Eagles, or Bulldogs. Numerous universities and colleges, such as Arizona, Bethune-Cookman, Davidson, Kansas State, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Northwestern, Villanova, and Weber State prove that not even colleges are immune. Just to name a few.
This can also be done in fiction as a slight dig at the NCAA's recent naming policies. While the name Wildcats is historically popular, the number of teams vaguely named after cats and birds has exploded recently as schools try to get away from older, politically incorrect nicknames.
Not to be confused with the superhero comicbook series
Wildcats
Examples
Comic Books
- Superhero teams aren't immune to this. Just ask WildStorm Comics' WildC.A.T.S.
- The school mascot in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Film
- Goldie Hawn was in a 1986 film called... Wildcats. Her dream was to coach high school football. Guess what the name of the team is... go on, guess.
- In High School Musical, the basketball team is called this.
- And they sing about it "Wild Cats everywhere! Put your hands up in the air!"
- A plot point in Speed.
- Which was a reference to the aforementioned real-life Arizona Wildcats.
- The football team from Prudence's high school in Across the Universe.
Live-Action TV
- The Pee Wee Hockey League team MacGyver belonged to as a boy, as seen in the episode "Harry's Will".
- Claire's original highschool football team on Heroes: The Wildcats.
- Hal coaching Dewie's soccer team The Tigers on Malcolm in the Middle.
- When prompted for whatever reason to say which janitorial closet Cameron and Chase had been having their liaisons in, House sarcastically said, "the one at the local high school. Go Tigercats!"
- The college in Winterhaven uses the Cougar nickname, as a self-admitted weak justification for Cougar Town keeping its original title.
Theatre
Video Games
Webcomics
Western Animation
Other
- Lampshaded in this article
, on a "likability index": "If your mascot is a Husky, deduct one point for triteness. If your mascot is a Wildcat, deduct two points for egregious triteness."
- Parodied on Teen Girl Squad with the Fighting Growlbacks.
- Also very common in Real Life are Eagles and Wolverines.
