Among those in attendance at Monday night’s men’s national championship game was a North Carolina fan who brought along a very particular sign.
On the broadcast, a fan held up a piece of blue poster board with the phrase, “Birds aren’t real,” written clearly in black marker.
The sign is in reference to a popular conspiracy theory that birds are drones operated by the United States government to spy on American citizens. The satirical hypothesis has garnered traction in recent years and has gotten attention from major publications like The New York Times, as well as an official response from the U.