It’s easy to see what feats of athleticism impress Oregon student fans these days.
LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli displayed excellent elusiveness from prison cells two weeks ago, as their court cases regarding a domestic dispute and a fraternity robbery, respectively, were resolved.
Masoli managed to duck, dodge and dance around the truth of his involvement in the incident at Sigma Alpha Epsilon, though he ended up being sacked for a 12-game loss. James never let his court-ordered ankle monitor hold him down, recovering his eligibility and starting spring practice on the right foot.
Two weeks ago, Ashton Eaton sprinted, hurdled and vaulted to the best of his abilities. Rather than evade local law enforcement, Oregon’s best multi-event athlete ever settled for evading his competition. And the rest of the world.
At the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Eaton scored 6,499 points to win the men’s heptathlon and break the world indoor record for the event, last held by Dan O’Brien in 1993. Eaton’s mark was 200 points better than those of Bryan Clay and Trey Hardee, the American men who finished 1-2 at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, that same weekend. Clay, you may recall, won the gold medal in the decathlon in the Beijing Olympics.
Unsurprisingly, the talk of campus was the plight of Masoli and James, the heroes of last year’s Pacific-10 Conference-champion football team, helping the Ducks make their first Rose Bowl appearance in 15 years, now making themselves publicly and embarrassingly unavailable for most football activities. The 2009 starting backfield managed to tarnish the reputation of anyone and everyone affiliated with the University — including all students — with one night apiece of law-breaking.
Eaton’s record-setting weekend? Nothing but crickets.
Of course, most Oregon students would be hard-pressed to pick Eaton out of a lineup, let alone remember his accomplishments. The senior from Bend is only 6 feet 1 inch and assumes a low profile, but he’s personable and witty, never condescending and never looking to draw attention to himself. He’s confident, never cocky. He simply goes out and performs to the best of his abilities. This season, Eaton is a strong Bowerman Award candidate — the Bowerman being college track’s Heisman Trophy, something Masoli and James are unlikely to ever garner consideration for again.
As the athletes lined up for the NCAA indoor heptathlon’s final event, the 1,000-meter run, Eaton’s competitors offered themselves up as pace-setters to ensure that he would break the world record. How many other collegiate athletes command that type of respect?
In an interview with FloTrack following the race, Eaton was quick to point out that, compared with the athletes competing at Doha, he was doing his absolute best while the professionals were still out of shape, performing while anticipating a later-season peak. Modest, but also correct. Most students, upon mention of Eaton’s feat, are quick to point out that, compared with football, track is not as important a sport to the University.
I’m not naïve. I understand that football is the athletic department’s major money-maker, and football revenue supports non-revenue sports like track and field. What disturbs me is that students cannot enjoy other Oregon sports based on the realities of economics. The proportion of revenue generated should not reflect the proportion of support for a sport. As all student-athletes at this school are Ducks, all support ought to be equal.
Football fans are trending toward masochism as spring practice gets underway, with the constant need for updates on the status of players in legal or internal trouble. The need to read articles with headlines like “What Does It Take for Chip Kelly to Actually Boot A Starter?” (SportingNews.com) has grown. The need to defend and decipher the program’s actions — again, with a specific nod to discipline — has strengthened amongst Duck fans.
This is asinine. This is unhealthy. There is no good reason to blindly support and defend student-athletes who break the law.
Theft happens every day. Domestic disputes happen every day. World records are rare and precious, and deserve just treatment.
The next time an Oregon football player acts out of line, I encourage the student fans of this school to divert their attention toward a more worthy source. There are plenty of athletes working hard to accomplish something special of their own this spring. All students, all Ducks, all seeking to represent well and compete honorably, as Eaton did two weeks ago.
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