How a tiny kitten was rescued near Subaru Park and came to be a mascot for the Sons of Ben

Come hang out at the Sons of Ben lot for the tailgate before a Philadelphia Union game or in section 104 at Union II games, and you might spot a furry friend taking in the action. That would be BR the cat, an approximately five month old tuxedo cat who really exemplifies what it means to be a homegrown. You really can’t get more homegrown than actually being born at the stadium complex!

I first met BR at the “unofficial tailgate” for the home game versus Pachuca on March 5th and was intrigued to see a cat on a leash and wearing a hoodie roaming around the SOB lot. I would see BR at additional Union games and actually in the stadium for the Union II’s home opener on March 17th. As a “mom” to three rescue cats and animal lover myself, I had to know more about BR’s story. BR’s humans, Sons of Ben tailgate director Kelsey Luckenbach and president Ryan Bross shared the origin story of the kitten recently with me.

BR (short for Ben Reaney- a Spiderman reference) was found October 27th, 2023, the same day as the release of Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s version) and the night before the Union’s playoff game versus New England. Some of the Sons of Ben crew were getting things done at the lot and listening to Taylor’s album, when they heard a kitten crying in the building at Union Yards. They realized the kitten was in the wall and they had to move the siding on the outside of the building to get to it, but eventually rescued her. It was a whole ordeal getting formula for the kitten but it was finally procured.
Slideshow above: Ryan Bross and Kelsey Luckenbach show where BR was found in the Union Yards building. Photos: Jillian Almoney
Since it was too late to take the kitten to a shelter, Kelsey’s sister took care of the kitten during the game the next day, and then after taking care of the kitten all that weekend, Kelsey could not imagine giving her up. According to Kelsey, “There was something really special to me about finding her down at the lot after my first official year as tailgate director, and on the day of Taylor’s new album release. I decided to keep her and we took her to our primary vet, where we found out she was about a week old and a female.”
In the off season, BR got to live safe and secure, and learn how to be a cat while living with two dogs, and Kelsey remarks, “She sometimes thinks she has to go outside to go to the bathroom thanks to the dogs, but knows how to use the litter box when she knows that’s not an option.” Indeed, seeing BR walking around on a leash, she does seem to have some dog tendencies. My cats basically go limp and refuse to move when put on a leash, but BR was walking all around when I saw her the first time in the SOB lot.










Gallery above: Photos of BR submitted by Kelsey Luckenbach of BR roaming around Classic Game Junkie, hanging out with Ryan Bross, and adapting to her new life.
When BR is not at Subaru Park or at home, she can be found at Classic Game Junkie in Glenside, where Ryan and Kelsey work full time and part-time, respectively. According to Kelsey, they call her their “inventory specialist” because she is always exploring and walking around the shelves and games in the shop. She also likes to play in the arcade in the Lansdale location and loves the pinball machine and Scotto. She is frequently on the go and travels in her cat backpack with Kelsey. She went to her first Sons of Ben capo/board event at Zed’s Beer in January since pets were allowed, and those in attendance fell in love with her and joked that she should be the official mascot of the SOBs.
She was brought to her first tailgates in March, and was set up in warmth and comfort in the SOB building during the game since it would be more of an issue trying to have her in the stadium for the Union. However, they were able to successfully bring BR in her bubble backpack into the Union II game on St. Patrick’s Day versus Toronto FC II. She was just hanging out and content during the game, and was just taking it all in. I was impressed with how chill she was, though the noise level was certainly less than a first team game. She watched the ball go back and forth, enjoyed the sun, and lots of love from the Bridge Brigade and Union fans in general. She has since been to the Union II game versus New England Revolution II and even got her hoodie signed by Cavan and Quinn Sullivan.


Kelsey says, “We appreciate the love and comments she’s gotten so far from the fans as it means it’s bringing more awareness to the Sons of Ben and Bridge Brigade communities, and of course the Union. It’s great seeing people come up to her when she’s out and about in the lot with us, or coming up to Ryan and I and seeing if they can visit her in the building “office” spot she’s usually located in.” BR even has her own Instagram account– you can follow her at br.the.tiny.sob
BR has certainly endeared herself to the Union supporters in a short amount of time, and likewise brought notice to the supporters of the team and brought joy to the fans. I am personally looking forward to seeing more of her as the weather gets warmer and we have more home games coming up. If you are heading down to a Union or Union II game, be sure to be on the lookout for the most homegrown of homegrowns!
Special thanks to Kelsey Luckenbach and Ryan Bross for sharing BR’s story with us and to Kelsey for most of the pictures and videos featured in this article.










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