Teddy Goalsevelt Biography

Teddy Goalsevelt is the frantic superfan, dressed as President Teddy Roosevelt, who energized American fans in Brazil at the World Cup in 2014.  Wearing a jungle hat, wire-rim glasses and leather cavalry gloves, he was first captured by TV cameras in the U.S. vs. Portugal match on June 21st. He quickly became an Internet star and was soon appearing in U.S. Soccer tweets and at World Cup fan events. In real life, Teddy Goalsevelt is Mike D’Amico, a creative director at the fittingly-named Cavalry ad agency in Chicago. D’Amico had decided to attend the World Cup in costume, but hadn’t actually planned on becoming famous. Still, he later told WTVR that “if there’s ever a president that you would want leading your team,  leading your country into battle, in the middle of the jungle, it’s Teddy Roosevelt.” (The Teddy Goalsevelt name wasn’t his idea; it came from online chatter.) His ad agency jumped on the bandwagon, raising funds to keep him in Brazil throughout the U.S. team’s World Cup run, and describing Teddy Goalsevelt on its website as “a boisterous advocate of both teamwork and foot skills.”