Make no mistake about it: Ducks football will miss Travis Dye, whether everyone wants to admit it or not.
After racking up nearly 4,000 total yards from scrimmage through four seasons in Eugene, the prominent running back faced a difficult decision regarding his final collegiate season. Speculation circled over his choices for weeks. It seemed he’d either stay a Duck for one more year or prepare himself for the NFL Draft.
So it came as a surprise to many when he answered the Trojan calling. Dye will play his next season in Southern California for the Ducks’ Pac-12 rivals. Fans reeled from the choice; on the surface level, the decision seemed a little disloyal. After all, Dye is leaving for a rival team with hardly any prior indication.
For me, this isn’t some Southern Californian sedition from Dye but his own life choices he’s free to make. He’s recently engaged and perhaps looking for a more mainstay offensive opportunity, or simply sees a brighter future for himself and his family elsewhere. He’s purely thinking of his best foot to put forward, and that’s all we should expect from him. I applaud him for his excellence with the Ducks program and wish him the best in his future.
Yet I can’t help but suspect homegrown issues played some role in his decision to leave.
Duck fans were, to say the least, discontent with the results of last season, and rightfully so. With the caliber of players it lined up with, the team looked set to race through the year. Then, all that optimism turned sour. After just the slightest hint of a stumble in the first game, a low growl seemed to form among Duck fans. With the team struggling to put Fresno State away, Duck fans began to voice their displeasure, becoming more irritable and pointed. Most notably, jeers directed at Quarterback Anthony Brown began at the first game and only grew louder from there. Critiques over Brown’s performance conveniently simmered after an upset win over Ohio State, only to be revitalized after subpar performances to Stanford and others. From my experience in the student section at Autzen, scoffs and chants to replace the starting slinger were present at every home outing. 
This growl grew, and the discontent made its way to the internet. When this condemning culture is allowed to brew, more people will face the brunt of it. That growl made its way to Dye by the end of the season. Duck fans pondered over his decision to stay or not, and some fans voiced their comfort with the star running back’s possible departure. The dismissive attitude of some in the fan base even caught the attention of other players. Linebacker Keith Brown denounced this “slander” in a Tweet, writing, “Travis Dye is irreplaceable.”
Still, the general consensus online seems to support Dye. Many fans also took issue with the disrespect given to Oregon’s fifth all-time rusher. While it was only a minority of disaffectionate voices, they were still heard and noted. If members of the team heard the growl loud enough to combat it, chances are word got to Dye. Perhaps then he was fully in his right to abandon an unsupportive situation.
It’s futile to speculate further on Dye’s thinking; as I said, he made his decisions only to better his future. However the growing tension from some fans may have prompted — or at least influenced — his exit.
From what last season tells us, Duck fans have a germinating entitlement issue. I’m not here to say it’s wrong for us to expect success from the team; in fact, it is necessary. However, some fans seem to forget their manners. The tense environment we create to demand success becomes problematic when it is pointed and not proportionate. 
The pointed blame of Brown over the course of the season has led to an environment of disproportionate reproach with an overall lack of gratification. This ungratefulness made those with disapproval of Dye more comfortable to spread their disrespect, and thus Dye respected their wishes. If Duck fans continue to form this irritable environment, I fear more instances like the one with Dye will occur.
With next season still a ways away, I think it’s time Duck fans self-evaluate. We are supporters, first and foremost. Our petulance only leads to tension and solves nothing, but our patience has importance. Again, we should create a competitive atmosphere that the players and coaching staff can rise to answer. The treatment of Brown and now Dye mark characteristics of ongoing self-deprecation surrounding the team, and this will only lead to more strained relations between players and the fanbase down the road.
The players hear us when we’re cheering — or otherwise.