It was third and long for our beloved Ducks last week, and that was before the UCLA Bruins even arrived in town. And in the end, it was not a Hail Mary bomb that marked the week for the athletic program, but rather a few smaller plays that are important for the long term.
The University’s athletic program has always had the cards stacked against it. This is partly due to the school’s national anonymity and historically meager budget, while more recently its growth prospects were abruptly stunted when Phil Knight pulled a $30 million pledge after the University joined the Worker Rights Consortium.
The first problem for the athletic program is that Eugene is a small school on the West Coast that receives more rain than Noah had to fight through on his wooden dinghy. It’s hard to attract the top national talent necessary for a nationally competitive program when Duck teams receive inappropriately little media attention, and there are larger schools with more tropical conditions.
But if the inclimate nature and isolated geography of the school weren’t enough, the eruption over worker rights and the role of the University in ensuring its licensed products are made responsibly put a dent in plans to expand Autzen Stadium. Such an expansion would have improved funding for the athletic program and reduced its financial needs from the University’s budget.
Those historical and political conditions, in a nutshell, caused the Ducks to fall behind and are why the beloved mallards needed a bold play.
And until last week, it looked as though the decision to join the WRC would be a costly fumble that would cripple the athletic program and turn the tide of national ascent.
But within one week, two seemingly unrelated events worked in concert to regain the momentum to improve.
First, ESPN’s College GameDay television crew descended on Eugene to cover the Ducks and Bruins match. Granted, they wouldn’t be here if the opponent weren’t the Bruins. But the crew’s arrival marked the first time the pre-eminent national sports network has hosted a show from the Northwest.
It is critical to any program striving for national acceptance to receive as much media attention as possible. Since polls still count for just about everything in college, and most reporters and coaches involved in the polling process usually don’t have the time or inclination to watch every game — especially West Coast games starting late — name recognition is immeasurably important.
That coup for national attention was followed by a hotly debated issue more closely related to the University’s body politic. School President Dave Frohnmayer made the decision to join the Fair Labor Association, the first step to mending the important relationship with Knight.
Some may argue that a school shouldn’t be so dependent on individual private donors, but the harsh truth is that for the athletic program to be a perennial contender for the Pacific-10 title, or possibly even loftier goals, there must be substantial investments in facilities. While it is the contention of some that such funds should come from the state and the notion of others that athletics ought not receive so much attention as it is, the reality is that the money isn’t coming from the state and that it seems prominent athletic programs at least build the brand recognition of a school.
In the end, the appearance of ESPN will make a small contribution to the tough job of capturing national recognition and the FLA decision will in some small way begin to mend the tattered relationship with the University’s most generous alumnus.
It wasn’t a Hail Mary week for the athletic program. It was just enough to get the first down and keep the drive alive.