MASSILLON, Ohio — A football team that had a live tiger cub mascot on the sidelines for decades before Ohio cracked down on exotic animal ownership will have to wait to repeat the tradition.

Boosters for Massillon’s Washington High School had said a live tiger would be brought in from Syracuse, N.Y., for last Saturday’s rivalry game against Canton McKinley. Booster club president Matt Keller tells the Independent in Massillon that didn’t happen because there were logistical and staffing problems.

Ohio’s rules enacted several years ago included an exemption for Massillon’s “Obie” mascot under certain stipulations. Boosters had trouble meeting those requirements, so the live mascot has become a rarity.

The booster club had said the estimated $2,000 cost for bringing a tiger from Syracuse would be paid through donations.