Winnipeg Blue Bomber mascot on keeping fans, team entertained for nearly 30 years

Boomer pumps up the crowd at Investor's Group Field during a Winnipeg Blue Bomber home game. (file image)

They're key characters on several professional sports teams.

Mascots work the crowd to help make their home arena loud and proud and to keep the fans entertained.

One Winnipegger has spent nearly 30 years as the man behind the mask for the Blue Bombers. He said the job is all about putting on a good show.

Bombers fans might know him best as Boomer; the taller, more laid-back, of the team's two longtime mascots.

Boomer and his more outgoing brother Buzz joined the Bombers 30 years ago.

Underneath the costume is James Deighton; the man who's brought Boomer to life for 27 seasons.

"It's a very unusual position,” said Deighton. “There's always something to talk about. People always find you interesting when you say you're a mascot."

Deighton got started as a mascot in his twenties when a friend who worked for the team tricked him into replacing an injured Buzz back in 1988.

"To be honest with you, I'm glad I was thrown into it the way I was because I don't think I would've volunteered,” he said.

Nervous at first, once Deighton transformed to Boomer he became more confident.

"You're now a show and that's the thing is to get your head into the fact you're a show. You're not you anymore," said Deighton.

While interacting with fans is a big part of his job, getting the crowd loud to distract the opposing team has become an anticipated bit of Buzz and Boomer's routine.

Blue Bombers’ defensive back Moe Leggett knows Buzz and Boomer personally, and has seen first-hand how the duo pumps up the team.

"They actually hype it up a lot more,” said Leggett. “It's like you hear the fans and you see the mascot and then your heart starts to race a lot more."

The most memorable moments of Deighton's career so far have been celebrating two Grey Cup games with the team—first, in his rookie season and then again in 1990.

"We'd like to see another one of those, soon,” said Deighton. “I think that our fans really deserve that moment again."

Rarely in costume now, Deighton spends most of his time as game day manager where one of his duties involves showing rookie mascots the ropes.

"I don't even know what I would do sitting at home or just being a fan in the stands for game day,” said Deighton. “I think I need to be on the field, I need to be part of it."

While Buzz and Boomer have evolved over the years, Deighton's passion for mascot work has remained the same.

Due to concerns over heat exhaustion, Deighton said more than one person usually puts on the Buzz and Boomer costume each time the Bombers play.

If it's really hot, the game day crew will actually use a different person to play Buzz and Boomer for every quarter of the game.