The Blue Jays' Dragon Is Missing the Point

Has Major League Baseball Forgotten What It Looks Like to Be Professional?

One of the things that has always made baseball special is that emotion comes naturally.

A walk-off hit, a division championship, or a dramatic playoff victory creates moments that players remember for the rest of their lives. Nobody expects athletes to act like robots, and celebrating genuine accomplishments has always been part of the game.

What concerns me is how many Major League teams now seem determined to manufacture those moments. Instead of letting emotion develop organically, clubs continue introducing dugout props that become part of their identity. We've seen tridents, giant sausages, cowboy hats, chains, and now the Toronto Blue Jays have unveiled a stuffed dragon as their newest home run celebration.

According to Sportsnet, Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins developed the idea of using a dragon to represent playing fearlessly after the team's offensive struggles, while assistant hitting coach Cody Atkinson purchased the prop before the game. I understand the thinking. The coaching staff wanted to loosen up a lineup that had been pressing offensively.

I simply think they chose the wrong way to do it.

The Timing Couldn't Have Been Worse

If the Blue Jays were leading the American League and one of the hottest offensive teams in baseball, I probably wouldn't have given the dragon much thought. Winning teams often develop traditions that become part of their clubhouse culture because those celebrations grow out of success.

That wasn't the situation in Toronto.

The dragon appeared while the Blue Jays were trying to break out of one of their most frustrating offensive stretches of the season. Before finally scoring against San Francisco, they had produced only three runs over their previous four games and had gone more than twenty-nine consecutive innings without scoring. At a time when the focus should have been on finding offensive consistency, the conversation suddenly shifted to a stuffed dragon sitting in the dugout.

Whether that was the organization's intention or not, the optics weren't great.

Alejandro Kirk Sent a Different Message

Earlier in the season, Alejandro Kirk unintentionally demonstrated what I believe professionalism looks like.

After hitting a home run while the Blue Jays were trailing, Kirk returned to the dugout as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. waited with the team's home run jacket. Instead of stopping for the celebration, Kirk walked past it. The organization later explained there was no issue between teammates and that Kirk chose not to wear the jacket because the club was losing.

That moment stood out because it reflected an understanding that the scoreboard still mattered.

A home run is valuable, but if your team is behind, the job isn't finished. There is still a game to win. Personally, I respected Kirk's decision because it placed the team's situation ahead of an individual accomplishment.

That's the mindset I would like to see more often.

The Message Sent to Young Players

Major League Baseball isn't just entertainment.

Whether players like it or not, they influence the next generation every time they step onto the field. Young athletes imitate batting stances, pitching deliveries, glove work, and celebrations long before they fully understand the preparation required to reach that level.

When professional baseball becomes increasingly focused on props and post-home run routines, those are often the first things kids choose to copy. I'd much rather see young players trying to emulate discipline, competitiveness, and respect for the game than wondering what object they'll hold after rounding the bases.

The standard set at the highest level eventually works its way down to youth baseball.

Some Organizations Let Their Play Do the Talking

This isn't meant to single out the Blue Jays. Across Major League Baseball, many organizations have embraced elaborate celebrations because they generate attention and create memorable television moments.

Others have taken a different approach.

Teams such as the Dodgers, Yankees, and Braves certainly celebrate victories and big moments, but they have largely built their reputations around consistency, preparation, and execution instead of dugout props. Their identity comes from how they play, not from what appears on camera after a home run.

Personally, I think that's a better example for the game.

Baseball Doesn't Need Gimmicks

One of the biggest misconceptions in professional sports today is that fans constantly need to be entertained with something beyond the game itself.

They don't.

If people want to watch a circus, they'll buy a ticket to the circus.

If they want to watch baseball, they buy a ticket because they want to see their team win.

Fans don't leave the stadium talking about the stuffed dragon, the cowboy hat, or whatever prop happened to be sitting in the dugout that night. They leave talking about whether their team won, whether the bullpen held the lead, whether the offense finally came through with runners in scoring position, or whether the manager made the right decisions.

Winning creates excitement.

Everything else is just decoration.

That's why I've never understood the growing obsession with elaborate dugout celebrations. They may generate a few social media clips, but they don't generate victories. At some point, organizations have to ask themselves what message they're sending. Is the focus on becoming a better baseball team, or on creating the next viral celebration?

The beauty of baseball has never depended on props. A perfectly executed relay throw, a pitcher escaping a bases-loaded jam, a hitter battling through a ten-pitch at-bat, or a walk-off hit already provides all the drama the sport needs.

Some fans will see the Blue Jays' dragon as harmless fun, and that's perfectly fair.

I simply see it differently.

Professional baseball doesn't need gimmicks to sell the game. It needs well-played baseball. At the end of the night, fans won't remember the dragon if the Blue Jays lose 6-2. They'll remember another loss.

Because in professional sports, winning has always been the best celebration.