10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2017

The hours are ticking down to Super Bowl LI, a hotly anticipated contest between perennial contenders New England Patriots and the upstart, high-flying Atlanta Falcons. Will the Atlanta Falcons actually win the Super Bowl? Avian-themed teams simply don’t do very well in the big game. But will they? Based on team name alone, NO.

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Falcons Atlanta 2001 Game 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2015

Brown Thrashers , large, rust-colored songbirds, were so popular in Georgia that they became the namesake of their NHL hockey team, the “Atlanta Thrashers!” ” It comes as no surprise then that the governor proclaimed the Brown Thrasher the state bird in 1953 , and the legislature followed suit in 1970.

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Georgia Legislature Atlanta Birds 155

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2013

Those of us perched precariously at the intersection of birds and sports couldn’t help but hope for a Bird Bowl, where both teams competing in Super Bowl XLVII were named for birds. Alas, Atlanta couldn’t seal the deal in the second half, but Baltimore bullied their way to the Big Game.

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Falcons Atlanta Baltimore ALA 150