By now, you have read at least 100 times in the forum attached to this site, the OBD Forum, that Oregon and college football has a most dire future. Actually, I think it is much higher than that since we’ve had over 10,000 posts since the first of the year, and it feels like it has been much more than a 100 posts of negative. (Feels like a couple of thousand times) I had to take some time away from ipl betting tips to show that these negative assertions are premature, and disclose the new rule in the forum about rehashing the negative incessantly.
I do not have my head in a hole, and I recognize change is coming, but let’s cover a couple of items that are purely my own opinion, but are what my new rule for “the forum with decorum” will be based upon. The compounding of negative comes under a number of categories, and we have heard plenty about each in the last three months. This is not the complete list, but this was enough to bum me out…
What We Have Been Hit-Over-the-Head With at Least 100 Times
“NIL is unregulated, is a legalized pay-for-play scheme, and has turned recruiting into bidding wars.” (Got it!)
“The Portal for immediate transfers is destroying teams, and congregating the best players at a few schools.” (Got it!)
“The Pac-12 should have expanded when it had the chance.” (Got it!)
“The Pac-12 should have cut costs and fixed the Pac-12 Network years ago.” (Got it!)
“The university presidents are incompetent making these business decisions.” (Got it!)
“The conference commissioners have made blunder after blunder.” (Got it!)
“We will have 30 teams in the future that are a semi-pro league.” (Got it!)
“All the money will go to the football players, so Olympic sports will be axed at universities.” (Got it!)
“Football Players will turn into employees, and have their own labor union.” (Got it!)
There is more, but that is quite a list of negative predictions we have been reading, and usually it is many times a day. Meanwhile, we have just heard recently from our Offensive and Defensive Coordinators who have gushed about how they came to Oregon to win a National Championship. It is a dichotomy for sure, and I was pondering about how I cannot bear any more of the extreme, repeated negative due to illness, as I am sick of reading it.
The End is Near?
Be honest with yourself….will the NIL/Portal plague change anything for this fall? (No!) Will it change things for 2023? (No!) It could by 2024 a bit, but Oregon is well positioned to counter it with the Oregon Brand, their own NIL, and a staff of coaches who are eager to turn young men into NFL players. We may even have a four year period before the effects of all the aforementioned calamities befall college football and impact Our Beloved Ducks.
So why are we ruining it for ourselves before it even happens?
If it is going to happen….can’t we relish the last three years of Oregon football (as we know it) without such a negative Eeyore Cloud hanging over us? Besides, new things can emerge that can change the whole picture and create less reliance on NIL.
So, get that gloom-and-doom out of your mind as nothing drastic is happening to OBD anytime soon! I refer to the “Canyon” scenario, as it is human nature to do nothing about a problem as a group until you get to the edge of the canyon…and then decide to find a solution. Everybody hates the new NIL/Portal situation, and I’m counting on human nature to eventually solve aspects of it.
And the final result may not be that bad in the end, so let’s enjoy Oregon football and Duck Sports in it’s present form until the changes occur!
You are WRONG Charles, as We HAVE Been Impacted by the Portal and NIL
Yes, the Ducks did lose a star running back to the Portal, who also probably received some hefty NIL income. But what about on the other side of the Portal ledger? The Ducks got a three year starter at quarterback, a former 5-Star, to take us into battle. In addition, we received a 330 lb. defensive tackle from a Pac-12 team, another defensive tackle from a B1G team, a transfer running back with a good resume’, and a starting corner from a Pac-12 school. I’d say Oregon won the portal battle in its first year, wouldn’t you?
When it comes to high school recruiting–the Ducks did not have many scholarships to offer and ended up with 15 signed, probably five or so below what they normally would do had Coach Dan Lanning and staff been on-board all year. Yes, there were only five of the coveted 4 and 5-Star players (at Rivals) among them, but I am unconcerned. Coach Cristobal and his staff did a great job really loading us up with elite recruits who are still very young; if there was ever a year to have more “project” players…this is it.
Let’s approach recruiting for 2023 as we would the other negative topics above? Let’s see how it actually materializes before we foment about all the players we are missing out on. I believe that with this staff having a full year to recruit? Look-out baby!
So What is the New Rule for the OBD Forum?
Where did the spark for this new rule come from? I was thinking about how awful it has been at times, reading this negative over-and-over and then I realized….there are five months left in the off-season!
Reading so much extreme negative for that long? I would slit my throat or least swear off my own forum if nothing was changed. Ditto for the next three years, when any reasonable impact is not yet felt by Oregon. Can you imagine the next three and a half years of constant negative? No, not doing it.
The Rule:
No more rehashing of what has been written by you or others anymore concerning the Portal/NIL/Pac-12 Blunders/Commissioner Debacles/Future Revenue, etc. Everybody has said their piece and we do not need to read another rendition of what has been written a thousand times in the forum already. If I and the moderators see the same-ol-thing? We will delete the posts. Things to know..
- This means that anything that is breaking news about Portal/NIL/Pac-12 Blunders/Commissioner Debacles/Future Revenue, etc., are articles we do want you to post and everyone is welcome to discuss the negative associated with this breaking news. In other words, new information is discussion as usual; going back into your time-loop of ranting of what has been endlessly covered already will be removed. Nobody wants to read what has been written a thousand times again.
- The rule is 31c, of which is an extension of venting; we do not need to see the same extreme negative information so many times. If we are…you are venting, and that is disallowed.
- Framing rhetorical questions about the same negative information of the past will be deleted as well.
- Ask yourself when you post….“is this a buzz-kill for everyone else?”
- Do NOT misinterpret this as No-Negative, as we continue to do “Critical Analysis” of player performance and coaching decisions. That is what we do on a forum, and will continue to–always. Negative on all topics is fine; extreme redundant negative of the topics listed above and covered a thousand times already is not.
- Our objective with the OBD forum is to have a GREEN REFUGE, a place of peace where we cherish our pleasant atmosphere. It is where people are polite and respectful to each other, and why we do not allow any politics. This new rule is keeping with the serenity, and fun-vibes of the forum and the community.
I want to move away from so much negative that has yet to happen…if it does at all. I want learn more about this exciting new staff, our players, what the coaches have planned, the practices, the recruiting–all of it! There is so much exciting Oregon football ahead of us and I want to focus on that because…
“Oh, how I love to ponder about Our Beloved Ducks!”
Charles Fischer (Mr. FishDuck)
Eugene, Oregon
Top Photo by Craig Strobeck
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Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks, a season ticket holder at Autzen Stadium for 38 years and has written reports on football boards for over 26 years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports, and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He is single, has a daughter Christine, and resides in Eugene Oregon where he was a Financial Advisor for 36 years.
He now focuses full-time on Charitable Planned Giving Workshops for churches and non-profit organizations in addition to managing his two Oregon Football Websites, of FishDuck.com and the Our Beloved Ducks forum. He is a busy man!
He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More…