Mascots’ Hard Work Pays Off in More Ways Than One

Tyler Brewer | @brewer_10

Big and Baby Jay are iconic parts of game days at the University of Kansas. Between all the dancing, socializing and hard work that goes on during game days, there’s a deeper story about how the team tried to give everyone a chance to fly with the big birds. 

Brian Carpenter is the head coach of the mascots, and has been for the past six years. Being a former Big Jay himself back in the late 90s into the early 2000s, Carpenter knows the extensive work of what it’s like being a mascot. However, he also understands just how much joy the mascots can bring fans, which is why he tries to give people as many opportunities to see the birds as possible.

“We also do about 250 other appearances outside of just football, basketball, and sporting events,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter and the team had a great idea on how they could turn all the craziness into a massive advantage.

“We did about 45 weddings last year and a lot of events around campus,” Carpenter said.

Those weddings raised the team around $15,000, money that the team was able to invest back into the program for new suits, new equipment and pay for the students under the beak for non-sporting event appearances. 

There have been wide budget cuts within KU Athletics, it’s a huge advantage for the mascot team to be able to be fairly self sufficient. KU Athletics supports the team in a massive way by covering travel costs to and from events, gear for the students to wear when not in the suit, and jerseys for the birds to wear on game days. 

The teamwork between the two programs mainly benefits the fans, allowing them to experience all the joy and magic that the birds bring to every event. 

 “I think for the kids it’s great to see the mascots they see on TV. And to see them in person probably helps make that connection. Obviously, he [my son] was very excited to see that, I think it’s great,” Casey Old, parent and KU fan said.