Photo by Samuel Marshall
By Julia Coty (@JuliaCoty) — Content Editor
The Spear editor Julia Coty interviewed San Jose State’s mysterious sports fanatics, Dac and Birb, with some questions in an attempt to quack the case of who they are. The duo of ducks can be found cheering on the Spartans at most, if not all, SJSU events.
Julia Coty: Do you prefer to watch games incognito? With your mask or without? Have you noticed anything different when or if you attend games without the mask?
Dac: Since I’ve started Duck, I’ve preferred to go to SJSU games masked so the athletes know that I’m always supporting them. Outside of San Jose State Athletics, I would obviously prefer to watch the event without the duck mask considering the fact that I don’t know how other Bay Area fans would react and the obvious advantage of no longer having to deal with limited vision. There are exceptions though, such as the recent Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas where I kept the mask on despite us getting eliminated in both first rounds. I did this in order to show the other Mountain West fans how dedicated I was to supporting our school despite the obvious struggles.
Birb: I prefer to watch games with my mask on though I can’t see very well and it gets really hot at times.
JC: What has been your favorite crowd or fan response from when you wore the mask?
Dac: That’s a tough question to answer. I obviously love the reactions I get when I first enter the venue where everybody around me is confused and in shock. But I also love whenever I get the opportunity to hype up the crowd and they actually make noise! A close second would be the moments when I get shown on the video board and get the opportunity to jam out in front of thousands of people. But my personal favorite crowd moment was after the Wyoming game where I walked over to the south side of the football stadium and the band, dance team and color guard were chanting “duck” for the first time. This was one of the key factors that led me to continue to do this.
Birb: When I went to the basketball game against Utah State, the one where there were three ducks. I walked through security and the security guard said “Omg another one! That’s the third duck I’ve seen in the past five minutes,” that one was probably my favorite.
JC: Do you think Sammy the Spartan has upcoming mascot rivals? Do you think other schools might think SJSU has adopted a new mascot?
Dac: No, Sammy Spartan is an official school mascot so they do not have to worry about anyone coming for their throne anytime soon. Rather than a mascot, you could I guess call me a student section leader instead? I may show up to more SJSU athletic events than Sammy Spartan, but I will never ever claim to be above them despite my sudden growth in popularity.
Birb: I don’t think other schools think that Sammy Spartan is gone but I would be a bit careful if I were Sammy Spartan. On a real note I don’t think Sammy will get replaced.
JC: What is your favorite sport to watch and why?
Dac: This is extremely difficult to choose because I am always invested in the sport being played no matter which sport it is. I enjoy spectating football from a personal point of view as it has been the sport I’ve loved my entire life, but from strictly an SJSU duck standpoint, every sport is just as entertaining as the next. You’ve got volleyball which is incredibly entertaining, basketball which is also packed with action and gymnastics which is an art in its own. I CAN’T CHOOSE! Maybe you’ll have to ask me again in three years’ time.
Birb: Baseball, football and basketball currently because they are the ones I find the most entertaining as of right now.
JC: Do you think the presence of Dac and Birb has had a positive or negative influence on crowds and students?
Dac: That was my initial goal of creating the “Dac” character, which was to get more crowd involvement. Ever since then, I feel like I’ve had a positive effect on the crowd and student body. Now of course, we struggle to fill up the venues to the desired capacity, but I feel like there’s a different type of energy around Spartan athletics now that my character exists. As for the sudden appearance of the SJSU duckling, I feel like this is another interactive and funny thing that my social-media audience can follow along with. After all, the name “Birb” was in fact chosen in my Instagram story poll where I asked what to name my mini duck stuffed toy!
Birb: Definitely a positive on the crowd for sure without question.
JC: What kind of hints are you willing to give for those who want to know your true identity?
Dac: Now I won’t do a face or identity reveal until I actually graduate, but I will confirm that a less than five-minute search on my Instagram page is needed to find out the man behind the mask. Some of my personal details have already been revealed such as my year and major, and some people may have also seen which building and floor I live on. Like I’ve said many times in the past, I’m not trying to remain extremely secretive and if you really want to figure out who I am, you will easily be able to do so. I’m just not going to go out of my way to do a big reveal, for now at least.
Birb: None.
JC: How would you describe yourself outside of the mask, in 5 words?
Dac: I. Am. Just. Like. Y’all.
Underneath the mask, there’s nothing special about me that I would like to brag to you all about. Some may point out my close relationship to the athletic program and my growing social media following, but those are associated with Dac, not the man behind the mask. I’ve had a thought for a while about what I would be doing if Dac didn’t exist, and I remembered that Dac is realistically all I have right now. I get emotional sometimes about the fact that Dac will likely have a bigger impact on SJSU than I will as myself, but then again I remind myself that I love what I am doing and that I have plenty of opportunities to stop if I want to.
JC: Who would you consider to be SJSU’s biggest rival?
Dac: No doubt Fresno State. Although we may be separated by a one-hour drive, it seems like we’re always competing with them in something. They may be better at us in athletics but yet again, what else is there to do in Fresno?
Birb: Fresno State.
JC: What SJSU sport do you hope to see improve or rise to the occasion?
Dac: Literally all of them. I am more excited in the progress of the entire program rather than just one team.
Birb: Basketball and/or baseball.