Sacrificing the Gift

A couple of weeks ago, I did a piece about losing momentum with the marketing of Oregon football. I really liked the piece and thought I would reprise the piece here.

The thing that brings this to mind is capitalizing on the opening of the new Operations Center. The Oregon athletic department has been spoiled by the demand for football tickets over the past decade. There was a waiting list of people looking to buy in... with the rising prices over the last few years, though, that waiting list has eroded to all but nothing.

We saw last year how difficult it was to sell out less than marquee games. I place the lame for that squarely on the shoulders of an Athletic Department that once had the balls to put up a billboard in Times Square.

They seem to have accepted that winning will take care of fans in the stands; but it doesn't always work that way.

Without further adieu, here is the article from a couple of weeks ago:

A couple of weeks ago, the University of Oregon lost the matriarch of a family that literally defines the program with the passing of Elfriede Prefontaine. Few Oregon fans think about Elfriede as they review the legend of her son in their minds. She played no real part in either of the major motion pictures about Prefontaine's life; but make no mistake, without Elfriede, there would be no "Pre" legends.

It is believed that Prefontaine's attitude towards track and life are a direct reflection of Elfriede. Of course, as any man knows, the lessons from the mother are often subtle, but in some cases, such as this, they become a direct reflection of the matriarch.

Prefontaine's most famous saying is a direct reflection of Elfriede's toughness. "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." This saying attributed to Prefontaine explains his approach to every race.. IT was never about a "time" and always about winning; giving every race your best.

Let me say that Prefontaine was different in just about every sense of the word. A former team mate of his at Oregon told me once about Prefontaine's approach to one particularly grueling workout. To lighten the mood, Pre stripped down; ran naked, but he still ran every workout to win the workout. There was never a reason for not giving everything to the moment at hand.

Prefontaine was also very intelligent in an understated way. The saying he made famous is a derivative of the words of Aristotle. In <i>Nicomachean Ethics</i>, Aristotle  says that each human being should use his abilities to their fullest potential. This seems mightly reminiscent of Prefontaine's quote. Aristotle contends that human achievement requires a certain purpose and autonomy. In the view of Aristotle, people should take pride in being excellent at whatever they do in life. This is a statement that to not fulfill your full potential shows a lack of character; a lack of virtue.

Re-read Prefontaine's quote and you can see that it is a restatement of Aristotle's view on potential.

For the Oregon athletic department, the question is, are they sacrificing the gift?

The University of Oregon has been incredibly lucky over the last few decades to have incredible support from a number of very well known benefactors as well as the lesser known boosters who have become the backbone of a now elite program.

But there is a disconnect that threatens to tear down the very foundation that has been built. Right now, the athletic department looks almost complacent in the success that has been achieved.

No one denies that Oregon athletics are in a "golden age" of success. What happens when that success wanes just a bit? What happens when the football team has back-to-back 8-4 seasons? The athletic department has raised prices out of necessity, but they have begun to price out the backbone of the program and that is a dangerous problem for the long-term health of the program. No one can count on contending for a national championship every season; there will be "down seasons" at some point.

In the SEC, where football is a way of life, there are waiting lists to get season tickets for the elite teams. The Pac-12 has always struggled with the notion that there are plenty of other options. People in Oregon have so many other things to do with their money and time; hunting, fishing, camping, hiking. You name it and there are Oregon football fans that will replace their time and money on Saturday afternoons with those activities. When the team goes 4-7 as Tennessee did last season, will Autzen still pack in 60,000 for every game? Or will fans take their $600 plus for season tickets and use it for other activities?

This is where the athletic department is failing fans of Oregon. To stay with the truly nationally elite programs and ride out the leaner seasons that do not end in BCS Bowls (or playoffs beginning next year), the fan base has to feel more passionate about attendance; it has to become their priority. In a state that offers so many wonderful opportunities to enjoy nature, people need to feel that Saturday at Autzen is more important than elk hunting.

Oregon fans are notoriously passionate on Saturdays at Autzen. Slowly but surely, though, some of those most ardent fans have left the building to watch from the comfort of their seats at home. This comes from the complacence of unprecedented success. That will change; will those lost fans come back when the team falters?

The athletic department has rested in their laurels, to some extent, over the last several years. Where's the hype? Where is the excitement surrounding the beginning of the season? It has been gone for quite some time. The funny part is, with the closing of practices, the athletic department had an amazing opportunity to capitalize on the lack of information through hype building, but chose to "let the product speak for itself." That is fine when the team is ranked in the to five and a national title contender, but it does not work for a team that goes 8-4.

The athletic department owes it to the program and its fans to begin generating excitement around the program. Yes, the non-conference schedule last season left something to be desired, but the professionals that are supposed to market the team spent more time apologizing for the weak schedule than pointing out the exceptional opportunity the softer schedule presented for those who normally do not come to a game, but have been wanting to do so for quite some time.

In the Portland area, listening to common radio, I rarely hear about anything related to Oregon athletics. There is no television advertising, no radio, no billboards. Nothing here suggests that there is an elite football team less than two hours away. There is no hype surrounding anything about the football team.

Covering this through traditional media does little good. Sports writers, news broadcasters and radio hosts have to cover multiple programs and tend to give a bland approach to stories surrounding the team.

Games against teams like Nicholls State are a great opportunity to get non-traditional fans into the stands. At these opportunities, Oregon has repeatedly missed the mark.

Bland stories about players being named to awards watch lists do not create the kind of hype that makes a ticket to a football game have meaningful value to a fan. It's time for the athletic department to make Oregon fans have the kind of passion to "be there" that fans of other elite programs have on Saturdays. 

If they don't, they are sacrificing the gift for all fans.

Vanderdoes cleared to play?

That's the rumor floating around tonight. Vanderdoes had originally signed a National Letter of Intent with Notre Dame then, sometime after, decided that he would prefer to play for UCLA.

The speculation was that a health issue with a close family member played a significant role in the decision.

I don't necessarily agree with the decision to allow him to play because I feel it sets a strong precedent that negates the while concept of what the signature on the contract means.

Yes; the old debate "well, the coach can leave so why can't the player" will be bandied about, but the reality is that each has a contract and within the contract are terms and conditions that must be met for the party to negate the contract. In the case of the coach, there is a buyout. Yes, in many cases the buyout will be covered by the team that hires the coach away... but if you think that the coach does not cover that cost you are wrong. Even if the team pays 100% AND pays the coach whatever they otherwise would have, the coach has to count that buyout as income... and he gets hit with the tax bill for that amount...

Nonetheless, on appeal the committee apparently believes that the Vanderdoes situation deserves a hardship appeal. If that is the case, then there must be compelling evidence that someone close to Vanderdoes had a significant change in health. Let's hope that the rules regarding what constitutes a hardship and what does not get clarified.

If not, we could see a lot more recruits being wooed after signing a NLI... and when they decide to switch, don't be surprised by the multitude of reasons they attempt.

There is a current player on the Oregon football team who, after he had signed the NLI was still recruited by a football coach at another Pac-12 school. It was shady and sleazy, but it happened. The player was told "don't worry, we can get you out of that still." Now that a player has gotten out of a NLI, don't be surprised to see a lot more willing to take the chance.

It is a mighty big coincidence that one of the assistants on the UCLA staff was also an assistant at the aforementioned school that attempted to continue recruiting a signed Oregon player. (No, it was not the Trojans.)

A sign of the times? Maybe, maybe not. But it is a precedent. Whether it becomes a bad precedent or not remains to be seen.

Life and Football

One is just a game; the other, is where our purpose lay.

Today Oregon fans were greeted with news of a decommitment from the class of 2014. This one was different than just about any other, though, as the talented player, Jordan Hoiem, had decided that his zeal for the sport of football was gone.

Vanished. But not into thin air. Hoiem has struggled for quite some time with this decision as has been reported by several outlets. The thing is, though, football, like any athletic endeavor, requires a commitment beyond what most normal people ever experience. This wasn't "tee-ball" he was preparing for, it was Pac-12 football; at one of the elite schools in the nation; big boy football.

The amount of dedication that must be given to the sport is immeasurable. Yes, there are rules about how much practice time an athlete can spend, but that does not change the nature of a nearly full time job playing football... oh, yeah, and they have to go to school full time while playing.

The dedication goes beyond the mere practices themselves; football is a physical sport that takes a toll on the body. It is a very mental sport that requires the kind of laser focus that can wear many young men down quickly. Again, all while going to school.

And, if a college football player dares to speak his mind in a non politically correct way? well, take a look at Colt Lyerla and Johnny Manziel for examples of how they are treated. Essentially, the players are told to keep any opinion that is too strong one way or the other to themselves. They are ridiculed not just for mistakes on the field, but for those things that they say in what little free time they possess.

That's a lot of pressure. And it takes uniquely talented and determined young men to become the best of the best.

Many years ago, I too was faced with a decision. As a kid, I had spent much of my youth playing all sports including football. As a sophomore, I transferred to a different high school two weeks into the school year. Knowing we were moving I had not practiced with my original school. When I arrived at Churchill, there I was ready to play, but practice requirements had me ruled out for all but the final game.

I was recruited to run cross country and decided I did not want to spend my time practicing if I was not going to play, so I switched. But that decision wasn't really difficult. The difficult decisions would come later.

It turns out that I had a lot of natural talent for distance running and I took it very seriously. I gave up all other sports to focus. I trained hard; up to 100 miles per week in the summer. At the end of my junior season, though, I took a trip to California. One morning while on a light 6 mile training run, I just stopped. I realized I was running not for love of being a distance runner, but because it was something I was good at... that was my last moment as a distance runner.

That decision was difficult.

Any sport that you choose requires a dedication beyond compare to become one of the best. As a powerlifter, I sacrifice a lot to be one of the best. I have given up a lot of pleasures to be in the gym. Food? That is not meant for flavor, but as fuel for the body.

I was once asked if it was nice to not be sore after workouts. The person assumed that world class lifters no longer suffer muscle soreness because they are "training adapted." Oh how I wish that were the case! In order to get better I am constantly pushing my body to its limits. Lifting is a lifestyle.

Without passion or dedication, you cannot be successful at anything. Oh, there may be what others define as success, but you cannot be the best without that passion.

The physical and mental aspects of football are daunting. Without the passion and commitment to the sport, well, all of the physical gifts in the world will not matter.

Hoiem lost a very close family friend and that has taken a toll on his mind; as it would for any 17 year old kid. Death is a very difficult topic for the young. Once that aura of invincibility is gone, the mind begins to play tricks.

Jordan Hoiem is a very talented football player. He has left open the possibility of taking up football at a later point.

No matter where his life takes him, I personally applaud him for making this difficult decision now and doing so for the right reasons. Despite his loss of passion for the game, he had enough respect for the Oregon program and their coaches to announce this decision.

This allows the Oregon coaches to move on as needed. I imagine it also helps Jordan.

I remember interviewing him shortly after his commitment. I was impressed by his maturity over the phone that night. Nothing today changes that impression.

Good luck to Jordan Hoiem. May he find that path in life where passion and happiness become intertwined.

Johnny Manziel and Misperception

Once again, it seems the college football world has been set ablaze with the incendiary lifestyle of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

It seems like every time I log on to the overstimulated world wide web and look at college football news, either twitter or Yahoo Sports is on fire with "johnny football news."

But, really, let's look at what we have seen recently... he was kicked out of a frat party. At Texas A&M's former Big 12 rival the University of Texas. Ummmm, so what!

What would you expect? If LaMichael James had been kicked out of an Oregon State frat party, would Duck fans care? NO! In fact, they'd probably be bragging about it becuase what Duck fan wants to think of James being too cordial with Beaver fans? I mean, really, this is news? Why? Because the Manziel won the Heisman Trophy? Slow news week indeed!

The reality is that, with the exception of a bar fight with origins that might be into a very uncomfortable racial area, what has Manziel done that has been that terrible? Nothing.

So he got frustrated with something that happened in College Station. Haven't we all had frustrations with the towns we live in at times? I have. I'll bet Tyson Coleman and Kiko Alonso have had some frustrations with Eugene at times. As have a multitude of other Duck athletes.

The difference? Manziel is willing to express his frustrations publicly. And for those expressions of frustration, people like Paul Finebaum gladly rip him into oblivion with their, supposed, unbiased platforms. Don't kid yourselves, though, there is no such thing as an unbiased opinion.

Paul Finebaum is one of the biggest "honks" for his team that exists in traditional media. When Texas A&M was in the Big 12, Finebaum spent about 0.3 milliseconds caring about the exploits of their players. But the moment that they entered into Alabama...err, SEC territory, then he cared. And, had the Aggies not beaten the Crimson Tide AT Alabama, he probably would have only given a fraction more time to Manziel and the Aggies. But the Aggies beat 'Bama and Finebaum has been on the rampage ever since.

Manziel is actually a very humble, respectful, well spoken and decent young man. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with him in Beaverton where he had been a mentor during the Elite 11 Camp. He was personable and has an exceptional memory. He remembered A.J Jacobson from the time he had attended camp at Oregon and A.J had been covering it for Duck Sports Authority.

Manziel, like all 19 and 20 year old young men has made his share of simple mistakes. The problem is that in today's world, the things we say as innocuous quips are suddenly broadcast throughout the world.

Had some of the comments I made in passing to my Marine Corps roommate been of the twitter variety, who knows how much embarrassment I might have suffered.

I have said it about Duck players and reiterate regarding Manziel; we expect too much of these young men. They are, after all, still just 19 and 20 year old boys with minds that have not been fully developed.

To expect them to always comport themselves as we would at 40 plus years of age is an unreasonable expectation. 

And, honestly, what do we care? A 20 year old kid says stupid things. This is a surprise? I think that says more about you than about Johnny Manziel.

Absence Makes the Heart... explode?

I was out for a while helping my mother move from Cave Junction ORegon to Klamath Falls. It was sweltering that first day, over 100 degrees while yours truly did the heavy lifting and was EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. In fact, I was HAPPY for a 3 hour drive in a U-Haul!

After getting the two 26 foot U-hauls that were full unloaded, I headed home yesterday and made it safe and sound last night.

A day of rest has reinvigorated me and I will shortly have my next strong opinion out there for the world to see.

Thank you all for your patience!

Woes of the Buffaloes

Just finished posting the article looking at Colorado for Oregon's fifth game. Things do not look any better in 2013 than they did last season. In fact, in some ways, they look worse.

The best players on defense are gone and the top two linemen on offense have left. That does not spell a lot of good things for a team that finished as the worst offense and worst defense in the conference a year ago.

But this isn't really about that, my look at the team for Duck Sports Authority is posted to look at.

The bigger problem is that the decision to fire Jon Embree appears to have been one made in haste as a response to two embarrassing seasons in the Pac-12 conference. I am not sure if Colorado really made the switch to better position themselves financially or because they thought maybe they'd have a better chance at rebuilding in the Pac-12, but it appears that the Buffaloes are nowhere near respectability in the conference.

The hiring of MacIntyre looks more of a hire made from desperation. The names that were originally mentioned all fell through and it appears tht Colorado got "stuck" with the hiring of a coach whose track record is not really as impressive as it seems.

Sure, MacIntyre was able to get San Jose State turned around, but the recruiting competition he faced was nowhere near as stiff as in his new home. At San Jose State, a member of the Western Athletic Conference during his tenure, the recruiting interests of the members were widespread and created a fairly level playing field. At Colorado, he learned quickly that competing against national level recruiters like Stanford, USC and Oregon as well as competing against 11 other teams for the top West coast talent leaves very little low lying fruit that can come in and help right away.

Colorado may have better cohesion and be a more focused team in 2013, but they will still lack the talent to compete. Maybe he gets things turned around in 3-4 years, but he's going to have to do it through development of players because he is going to struggle to get ready-made talent to Boulder.