Blackout in Oregon
March 2, 2008 |
Kevin
Zdancewicz
One of the first things I notice
when I
turn on a game is
whether one of the teams participating is wearing a new uniform. I tend
to
notice small detail changes, as well as full-scale redesigns, but
sometimes
there are new jerseys that draw everyone’s attention and even spark
conversation in the sports world.
This week’s featured jersey is
for the
University of Oregon
basketball team, which debuted the look ten days ago. You might not
have been
able to tell who that was above, since the Ducks opted to put their
lettering
in either black or dark green (it’s hard to tell which) on a black
jersey and
hope that a shiny
material would make up for the lack of distinction. It ends up
looking like Oregon is
playing in dark practice jerseys with bright yellow numbers when the
team comes up
the court.
Add in the fact that the jerseys are part of Nike’s System of
Dress
uniform program, where teams sport tight jerseys and ridiculously baggy
shorts,
and the new look is just a complete disaster.
As many of you may know, Oregon is no
stranger to
outrageous
uniforms. Nike co-founder and former CEO Phil Knight is an alumnus and
a big
donor, so Nike has essentially been given permission to use Oregon as
the apparel
empire’s personal guinea pig. The football team possesses a number of uniform
combinations
that would make a probability student cringe, including bright yellow
sets that
have blinded gridiron fans the last few seasons. The basketball team
has
steadily begun to follow suit with their latest hardwood experiments.
And with
Oregon resurrecting its baseball program next year, chances are we will
see
something “revolutionary” for the Ducks on the diamond, though I
wouldn’t be
surprised if it ended up looking like this
or one of these.
Anything is possible (aesthetically) when Oregon and Nike get together.
(Update: Oregon now is apparently going for
a white-out
with a new look unveiled for this basketball season. Also, it turns out
I
was
right to warn you about what might be coming with the new Oregon
baseball uniforms.)
Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com
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