Spring Break
Rallying a different legend
Kye Johnson
Issue date: 5/23/08 Section: Sports
I see on osubeavers.com a press release from Athletic Director Bobby D. that was issued recently, reassuring everyone that the legend is indeed being rallied. "About 800" people have signed up to rally this legend so far. By the way, who is the legend? I've been thinking about that a lot lately.
It begs the question: How much is it going to take for Oregon State basketball to bring itself to a level of respectability, let alone to the level of the University of Oregon? I see the Ducks doing all these crazy things in football, year in and year out, sort of masking the fact that their team isn't that good just to draw a lot of attention to the program. It got me thinking: If OSU basketball turned itself into the U of O of college football team, would we be better off?
And I'm not talking about just doing a few things completely out of line, I'm talking about going all-out here.
It starts with the uniforms, of course. So for the home uniforms, the shorts are completely orange with no stripes or anything on them. The top piece could be half white, half orange with a giant logo of Benny the Beaver chasing after something streaking across the chest. Like Wile E. Coyote chasing the Roadrunner or something.
Remember in the 1990s when every NBA team set a new level for horrendous uniform trends? That's where I'm thinking OSU should go, because even if they lose, if they're wearing uniforms that leave fans speechless, they can at least walk away from the game knowing that half the people watching paid more attention to the uniform rather than the poor play on the court. And if they win, then they can be called trendy.
It seems like the overall mentality of OSU basketball is changing with the new addition of head coach Craig Robinson, and with him, hopefully more wins. So why not try to be trendy? It seems to work for Duck football. They go 6-6 and the national media call them the most underrated team in a bowl game. They lose three out of their final four games in a season and the national media say they are the best team not playing in a national championship game. Are they ever really that good? No. But because they're so outrageous it brings them some pretty good attention.
It begs the question: How much is it going to take for Oregon State basketball to bring itself to a level of respectability, let alone to the level of the University of Oregon? I see the Ducks doing all these crazy things in football, year in and year out, sort of masking the fact that their team isn't that good just to draw a lot of attention to the program. It got me thinking: If OSU basketball turned itself into the U of O of college football team, would we be better off?
And I'm not talking about just doing a few things completely out of line, I'm talking about going all-out here.
It starts with the uniforms, of course. So for the home uniforms, the shorts are completely orange with no stripes or anything on them. The top piece could be half white, half orange with a giant logo of Benny the Beaver chasing after something streaking across the chest. Like Wile E. Coyote chasing the Roadrunner or something.
Remember in the 1990s when every NBA team set a new level for horrendous uniform trends? That's where I'm thinking OSU should go, because even if they lose, if they're wearing uniforms that leave fans speechless, they can at least walk away from the game knowing that half the people watching paid more attention to the uniform rather than the poor play on the court. And if they win, then they can be called trendy.
It seems like the overall mentality of OSU basketball is changing with the new addition of head coach Craig Robinson, and with him, hopefully more wins. So why not try to be trendy? It seems to work for Duck football. They go 6-6 and the national media call them the most underrated team in a bowl game. They lose three out of their final four games in a season and the national media say they are the best team not playing in a national championship game. Are they ever really that good? No. But because they're so outrageous it brings them some pretty good attention.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 18
BigPlay
posted 5/23/08 @ 9:14 AM PST
Wow, you really have a lot of time on your hands to think about how OSU can mimick UO? What, OSU baseball isn't worth watching now a days? Oh yeah, the only reason Oregon football gets attention is because of the uniforms. (Continued…)
DCBeaver
posted 5/23/08 @ 9:30 AM PST
I am a beaver, but even I can acknowledge the fact that Oregon's season last year was tainted by the loss of Dixon.
As for the basketball team, they need a lot more than a corporate sponsor, they need to play defense and shoot the ball. (Continued…)
Got2bOSU
posted 5/23/08 @ 9:51 AM PST
Lets not kid ourselves. We all like to all think that Oregon football has never been that good. Any impartial source would agree that all the antics that surround Oregon football allowed them leverage themselves into one of (if not the most) talented teams in the country last year. (Continued…)
Oregon Observer
posted 5/23/08 @ 10:04 AM PST
I read Kyle Johnson's article, and I wonder how it even show's up anywhere. What a piece of garbage! Oregon uniforms? Really. Really...
How about taking your little brother mentality and focusing it on ways to make your basketball team less embarrasing. (Continued…)
kmilk
posted 5/23/08 @ 10:36 AM PST
Its funny to me that you think that Oregon gets air time in the top 15 because they have unique uniforms. Do you really buy into that line of thinking? Last year they had a Heismen candidate, beat Michigan at Ann Arbor, beat ASU, & USC. (Continued…)
Jeremey
posted 5/23/08 @ 10:53 AM PST
You do know that the Ducks finished 2nd in the nation a few years ago and were second in the polls but missed out on the national championship game because nebraska unfairly jumped them. (Continued…)
Scott
posted 5/23/08 @ 11:00 AM PST
The author had a really good chance to write a well-thought out piece. One that media links could pick up and discuss. Instead, it's just yet another redundant column about how 'lame' UO is and how great 'OSU' is. (Continued…)
sickofit
posted 5/23/08 @ 11:23 AM PST
Hypocrites
You bash the ducks because of all of the flashy things their football team has, and then you suggest that you should do them yourselves. (Continued…)
dee
posted 5/23/08 @ 11:23 AM PST
Your knocks on UO football are laughably off base.
-Our record over the last 10-15 years is definitely not "mediocre." We've been at or near the top of the Pac-10 for some time now. (Continued…)
sickofthebeavs
sickofthebeavs
posted 5/23/08 @ 11:25 AM PST
Hypocrites
You bash the ducks because of all of the flashy things their football team has, and then you suggest that you should do them yourselves. (Continued…)
Post a Comment
Comments by registered users are approved by default.