“Go Birds!” and the Mindset of a Championship Team

The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions. Even if you don’t follow football, you’ve likely heard their rallying cry: “Go Birds!” On the surface, it seems innocuous. An eagle is a bird. It doesn’t take much of a leap to see how they got there. One small problem: the NFL is also home to the Falcons, Seahawks, Ravens, and Cardinals. Sure, the Eagles are champions in part because of their superior roster and coaching, but let’s not underestimate the psychological advantage they gained by claiming the mantel of the one true bird team. Every time the Falcons, Seahawks, Ravens, and Cardinals hear someone shout, “Go Birds,” their ears perk up, and then, crestfallen, they realize that although they’re birds, they’re not the birds. The Blue Jays are well-situated to replicate that enormous competitive advantage and in so doing lay the groundwork for future championships. So let’s look at how they get there.

For starters, we need to acknowledge the first hurdle: the phrase “Go Birds” is copyrighted by the Eagles. Although the rallying cry has been in use since 1984, they’ve only had the copyright since 2022. That means we can’t make official Jays merch with the phrase, but it doesn’t mean the fan base can’t take it and run with it. You think those guys selling “One BJ is better than 9 Yanks” shirts out in front of the Dome are officially licensed? Or that there won’t be Etsy shops suddenly filled with associated gear? So we won’t ask for permission. We’ll win a couple World Series and then ask for forgiveness.

The Eagles have four other bird teams to contend with, while the Jays get off light, only needing to assert their dominance over the Cardinals and Orioles. The Blue Jays were founded in 1977 and have been around for 48 seasons. That makes them the new kid on the block. The Orioles have been around since 1901 (124 seasons) and the Cardinals even longer (1882, 143 seasons). Those other two teams had a combined 219 years to claim the phrase before the Jays were ever founded and they did nothing! We can call dibs.

Is there a championship criterion to consider? The Cardinals have won 11 championships, far outpacing the Orioles’ three and Jays’ two. St. Louis also leads in playoff appearances with 32 compared to Baltimore’s 16 and Toronto’s 10. Of course, if we cut out the head start and only look at 1977 onward, the race gets a lot tighter (STL: 3, TOR: 2,  BAL: 1). Returning to the NFL, the Eagles have as many championships as the Ravens and one more than the Seahawks, but they also have the lowest Super Bowl winning percentage of the three, so for this criterion, it’s enough that the Jays are close.

Let’s look at the birds themselves. Cardinals have the smallest range of the three birds while Blue Jays and Orioles cover a similar sized area. I’m giving the tiebreak to the Jays here for spending their winters up north while the Orioles migrate south. Where did they get their names? The Blue Jay’s scientific name, Cyanocitta cristata, simply means blue and jay (which is to say, having a prominent crest). Easy, direct, and to the point. Cardinals are named due to their resemblance to the red-clad Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. Saving critiques of the Church for another time, I’ll limit myself to saying the having your name tied to a single religious denomination isn’t very inclusive. Moreover, the Arizona Cardinals have already had their chance to be the “Go Birds!” birds, and they lost it. Baltimore Orioles get their name because they resembled the coat of arms belonging to the family of Lord Baltimore and a different species of bird from Eurasia. That coat of arms sports two leopards, a shield, and the golden colour that sparked the recognition. Very convoluted, very classist. Another point to the Jays.

Now let’s look at longevity. The oldest recorded Oriole was 12 years old. The oldest Cardinal, 15 years and 9 months. The oldest Blue Jay? 26 years and 11 months!! That’s as old as Bo Bichette! Blue Jays are built to last. It’s clear that in the animal kingdom, the Blue Jay is the dominant bird. We need to leverage that dominance (especially over our Division rival) and bring it to the ballpark. Let your “Go Birds!” calls be heard, and a championship team will emerge.