It was one of the busiest weekends of the year for sports fans – five Game 7s in the NBA Playoffs, and most notably, the Kentucky Derby – but for Ducks fans, there was one event that stood above the rest: the Spring Game. While fervent followers of the Ducks wouldn’t miss the annual spring tilt for anything, trying to keep …
Two things that are done with frequency in or around Autzen Stadium on game days that are forbidden in the Press Box: 1) Audibly cheering for the Ducks 2) Any type of activity usually found at a tailgate Since those are two of the best things about going to Ducks games, I prefer to find myself in the stands instead …
I’m out of words. I’ve complained about my disinterest in a national championship involving teams I couldn’t care less to watch. I’ve complained about how college basketball is worse off when John Calipari’s programs succeed. Yet those things continue to happen in college sports, so lots of good my complaining does. Rather than picking between two schools who, despite their 7th …
With the 2013-14 Oregon men’s basketball season concluding on Saturday evening, there are two ways that the scope of the season could be viewed. One approach is to hang one’s head at the missed opportunity; disappointed at seeing a second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance (which would have been a first in the program’s history) slip away following the evaporation of …
Relocation. It is a term that sports fans, particularly those in the Pacific Northwest, associate as a threat than with opportunity, the darkest side of pro sports fandom that makes college fans grateful their teams will always be a constant presence where they presently reside. Yet for all the negative experiences the Pacific Northwest fan base has faced regarding relocation …
It is the marquee event of NFL Draft process: the NFL Scouting Combine, or the “Underwear Olympics,” to which it has been casually referred, of which four years of college production can become virtually ignored in favor of a limited sample of data collected in the form of physical measurements from arbitrary tasks. So why would college football fans care about this NFL …
Two of the signature days on the football calendar brought the season to a close last week. The first was last Sunday in the form of the Super Bowl, sport’s biggest spectacle, but also one of the truest meritocracies; the team that executes better on the field wins, and does so by presumably having the best combination of player talent …
With the conclusion of the college football season, and National Signing Day just a week and a half away, fans of all kinds have turned their attention to YouTube. Whether it’s watching recruiting videos, catching old games, or reliving the highlights; with no “original content”, so to speak, being produced on the field, video remains the best way for fans to get …
With the Pac-12 schedule released last week, analysts everywhere have broken down, in detail, how the schedule will impact the 12 teams in the future. While analysts break down how the schedule impacts each team on the field, I was curious about how the schedule shakes out for the Oregon fans. (If you haven’t seen it yet, go here.) Let’s take …
When watching any given college football game, my rooting interests tend to follow this hierarchy: 1) Oregon Ducks 2) Any significant underdog 3) Pac-12 teams (excluding Washington and Stanford) 4) Any outcome that turns college football on its ear Following this hierarchy meant last week was a very good week, starting with the Ducks winning their third straight bowl game …
Following Thursday’s win against Utah, the Ducks improved to 13-0 to start the season, the first time Oregon had accomplished that since the 2006-07 season. That Oregon team went to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Florida. They also lost their 14th game of the season. Maybe this year’s team wanted to follow that example to a …
Knowing the right time to leave is a sign of a professional, and at the same time is never an easy task. No one wants to walk away when they are up, hoping to sustain those highs as long as possible. Conversely, no one wants to walk away when they are down, always assuming that their fortunes will reverse …