Former NFL Mascot Reveals 11 Surprising Rules He Had to Follow While in Costume (Exclusive)

Think you've got what it takes?

If there's one person who doubles as a football fan and nearly rivals the cheerleaders' amped-up spirit on the NFL sidelines, it's undoubtedly the mascot. The identifiable and larger-than-life character is responsible for bringing the energy and hype to each and every game.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, former Dallas Cowboys mascot Eric Aaberg shared a behind-the-mask look at what it takes to suit up as the team's boots-wearing, chaps-sporting mascot, Rowdy.

Aaberg, who was born and raised in Dallas before moving to Los Angeles, stepped into the cowboy costume when he was a 21-year-old college student at the University of Texas at Dallas. For an approximately 7-foot tall character (that weighs "1 Arling-TON"), surely, he had big shoes to fill.

But given his four years of experience as the Temoc the Comet, the official mascot of UT Dallas (whose name is quite literally the word "comet" spelled backward), Aaberg says "the stars just aligned" for the Rowdy role. "They liked my energy," he says. "They're like, 'Cool, come on aboard!'"

Related: Former Buffalo Bills Cheerleader Reveals 9 Shocking Rules She Had to Follow Before Squad Was Disbanded (Exclusive)

While not every franchise across the 32 teams in the NFL is represented by a mascot, the ones that are certainly make themselves known. Look at the zip-lining, jaguar Jaxson de Ville of the Jacksonville Jaguars or the record-breaking, rope-swinging bird Freddie Falcon of the Atlanta Falcons, for example.

Better yet, turn your attention to the 7-foot tall, 85-inch-hipped KC Wolf of the Kansas City Chiefs or the anthropomorphic dorsal-donning T.D. of the Miami Dolphins (which actually replaced a real, tanked dolphin placed in the end zone at home games from 1966 to 1968).

Clearly, each of the foam-formed characters is different from the rest; however, they are all united by similar intentions: to entertain fans, exude team spirit and promote pride across the franchise they represent. Despite the overarching goal, not all NFL mascots are the same.

Read on for 10 surprising rules Aaberg had to follow as the Dallas Cowboys' official mascot.

There is no traditional tryout process

Mascot tryouts are not like you see in the movies, at least not in Aaberg's case when going for the gig as Rowdy with the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he was sought after given his prior mascot experience in college with several clips of his work going viral on social media.

Then, Aaberg says there was an interview process. "I over-prepped for it," he recalls with pride. "I have a mascot resume, I have all these TikToks... You definitely have to have some sort of personal brand or portfolio," he notes. "I've gone viral, I've gotten millions of views."

What likely sealed the deal, however, was his likability. "The girl was like, 'I love your vibes,'" he recalls the interviewer telling him upon landing the job during his senior year of college. The confidence boost, in fact, even prompted his thought to "do mascot-ing" after graduation (update: he didn't).

Next, Aaberg "shadowed" Rowdy during an event at AT&T Stadium to learn the ropes while seeing the walk-around character in action. He credits having "a lot of experience" from "training as a college mascot" to his success in securing the NFL gig.

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Mascots must meet certain physical requirements

When embodying an oversized character that's approximately eight feet in height and can weigh between 12 and 20 pounds, it's understandable why physical requirements must be met to do the job.

"Rowdy's suit was very difficult because he had a taller cowboy hat, and so it was very top heavy," he says of the awkward weight distribution in the costume. "I vividly remember [thinking], 'Oh my gosh, my head's about to come off.'" Aaberg recalls with a laugh.

"You're in the suit at maybe upwards of 40 minutes without a break," he explains, noting that you practically "can't see anything in the suit because literally your vision is, I want to say, 20 percent of what you normally can see."

Aaberg concludes, "I would say you have to be athletic."

Mascots must have high energy and personality

Being a mascot not only takes energy, but it requires lots of personality to be expressed from the second the costume is on until the second it's taken off. "What makes me Rowdy would be beating my chest and showing off the guns," Aaberg says of his Dallas Cowboys character.

"I already have extra energy and so I thought at first it was going to be really hard to keep quiet in the suit, but I don't know, you kind of go into autopilot after a bit," he says. "You attract a lot of people. You're a celebrity and it's a lot of fun. So you definitely kind of control the vibe in the room."

Mascots must know how to interact with all people

As someone who admittedly has "main character energy," interacting with the fans and pumping up the crowd was a breeze for Aaberg. However, reading the room when he wasn't captivating AT&T Stadium (which can accommodate upwards of 100,000 people) was just as crucial.

"People are a little terrified of mascots. Kids either love it or hate it, they're not really in between and you really just have to adapt to the audience," he makes known. You also never know who you're going to cross!

"I met someone that was on the moon," Aaberg excitedly recalls. "You meet a lot of celebrities, you meet a lot of football players...  I try to not pick a favorite. I try to just interact with everyone as much as possible."

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Mascots aren't allowed to talk

Every mascot has its own rules regarding whether or not they are allowed to audibly communicate with fans; but for Rowdy, Aaberg says he wasn't allowed to talk. "Not in the suit," he makes clear.

What might've seemed daunting at first for Aaberg — who makes known, "I yap a lot" — he assimilated, ultimately falling in love with "that magic aspect" about it. He compared it to the characters at Disney World, noting that he could "write messages with a Sharpie."

When he was alone with the cheerleaders or the Cowboys staff, Aaberg said "sometimes" he would talk if they were by themselves. "That's totally fine," he says, though jokingly shares that "everyone is always shocked" when he removes his head.

"They're like, 'Whoa, you're sweaty!' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm putting in the work!'" Aaberg laughs.

Mascots must be able to learn choreography

In addition to having the energy and personality, certain mascots require certain steps during the game to match team cheers or fight song routines.

"Some dances, too, are very agility intense," Aaberg makes known. "Learning dances and choreo[graphy] was a big part of the job if you were doing a simple TikTok," he adds. "So really, again, just being agile."

Mascots have to stay in shape during the season

Wearing the heavy costume, running around the field, performing dance routines — or even, catching football with one hand — being physically fit is undeniably a must for Rowdy, despite not being required to do flips and tricks like some do in the movies.

"I would say I literally worked out maybe five times a week during that season, and I still would be so freaking dead," Aaberg says of his one-year stint as the Dallas Cowboys mascot. "It really is straining on you, and it definitely can be a workout."

Add in the heat of the warmer months combined with the temperature in the costume, "hydration" is key. "I've only had one time where I nearly blacked out. It was from being a college mascot," he says, noting that the suit would "add about 30 degrees" to the outside temps.

"So if it's 90 degrees inside in the stadium, it's going to be 120 degrees... You're definitely sweating," he makes known. "You have to build stamina, agility and really be able to put on a performance," he says. "You're always moving around."

Not every Mascot has to keep their identity a secret

Every mascot, NFL or collegiate, has its own tradition when it comes to keeping the identity beneath the mask a secret. "Definitely a Hannah Montana moment," says Aaberg, comparing his disguised gig to the best of both worlds life Miley Cyrus' character lived out on the Disney Channel hit series.

For his college mascot duties, Aaberg jokes he went to the secrecy extent of "an FBI agent" in an attempt to keep his identity from being exposed.

"I had to be undercover," he says. "I would set my phone location somewhere else. I would time Instagram Stories that I was off campus while I was about to mask up and go perform."

In comparison, keeping Rowdy's identity a secret was a little different "because people see it as a job," he says. "It was public on LinkedIn and I had a lot of friends on LinkedIn, and so when it was like, 'Eric started a new role as the mascot at the Dallas Cowboys football club,' everyone's like, what!"

Aaberg jokes, "I guess LinkedIn be exposing me."

Mascots must make off-field appearances, too

Mascots have several appearances to make outside of the football games.

"We had a mascot at football games. A lot of corporate events. I want to say Rowdy has probably 150 events throughout the year that's just corporate-sponsored events," Aaberg explains. "And I've done a commercial... some roster videos that I've seen go on the NFL channel."

Even at games, Rowdy wanders the stadium to meet and greet fans. "You're there hours before you're going through routines... You're showing a face, you're interacting with crowds, you're giving signatures," Aaberg says, recalling a milestone moment that's a "core memory" of his career to date.

"My first time I was Rowdy, someone engaged in front of me! They were like, 'Rowdy, can you help me with this?'" he remembers being asked at the time. "I get down on a knee with the guy, and then he proposed to his girlfriend! They're both Cowboys fans... at the Cowboys stadium."

Mascots are allowed to have other jobs

While each team has its own rules, Aaberg says his role as Rowdy was a part-time job. "You get paid about $10 an hour — and then if it's a game day, you get $200 on top," he approximates of the pay when he had the job.

Aaberg adds, "I worked also a full-time job, so I was doing college, a full-time job and Rowdy."

Read the original article on People