Mascots around the world are used for similar events in most countries. Almost all countries utilize mascots for some if not all of their sporting events. Football (American version), basketball, rugby, hockey, and especially soccer widely use mascots for college and professional games. Soccer is one of the most widely popular sports world-wide, so mascots are heavily used in these sporting events. Some teams use the soccer ball itself and dress it up as a personified mascot. Mascots can look very similar to each other and very different in various nations. Animal mascots are some of the most popularly used for sports on an international basis.