Kansas basketball: Is a Jayhawk a real bird?

With Kansas basketball playing Miami in the Elite Eight, March Madness fans have one question: Is a Jayhawk a real bird? What are Kansas Jayhawks?

Yes, I promise to you, the people want to know. And I’m here to provide an answer.

Bill Self and the Kansas basketball team are trying to avoid an eighth loss in his tenure in the Elite Eight, a mark that surely would not go over well with Jayhawks fans in general. Self is well aware of his Elite Eight record, and wants to avoid another defeat as much as possible.

“It’s the hardest game in the tournament to not win,” Self said. “You can talk about first round, you can talk about whatever, it’s the hardest game. The national championship finals, at least you’re playing for it all. But this one, every goal of every team is road to the Final Four. It’s not road to the national championship. It’s road to the Final Four.”

Is a Jayhawk a real bird?

Sadly, no. Jayhawks are not real birds despite the fact that they would be awesome birds if they weren’t mythological creatures.

The Kansas Athletics’ official website clears up the history behind the term ‘Jayhawk’ and what it truly means.

What are Kansas Jayhawks?

The origin of the Jayhawk is rooted in the historic struggles of Kansas settlers. The term “Jayhawk” was probably coined around 1848. Accounts of its use appeared from Illinois to Texas and in that year, a party of pioneers crossing what is now Nebraska, called themselves “The Jayhawkers of ’49”. The name combines two birds–the blue jay, a noisy, quarrelsome thing known to rob other nests, and the sparrow hawk, a quiet, stealthy hunter. The message here: Don’t turn your back on this bird.”

So, there ya have it. The Jayhawk is not real, but the message it simple — keep your eyes on Kansas.

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