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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1999)
NEWSROOM: (541)346-5511 E-MAIL ode<s>oregon. uoregon.edu ON-LINE EDITION: www.uoregon.edu/--ode EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Frank EDITORIAL EDITORS Kameron Cole Stefanie Knowlton GoDucks... Qv and take the new v uniform with you! Opinion Amy Goldhammer Functionality aside, the new football uniforms lose big in the game of varsity fashion competition People in Eugene have always had their own sense of style, but the new football uniforms don’t fit comfort ably even in this town. The new football uniforms were unveiled in Honolulu before the Ducks played in the Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day. What is this awful looking Spandex mesh contraption? "The new uniforms are ridiculous-look ing,” said sophomore Jake Baum. “We’ve been bamboozled not only by Nike but the athletic department as well.” And he is exactly right. The athletic de partment has sold the soul of the Duck to corporate monsters to produce what athlet ic director Bill Moos calls “an example of innovative leaders in intercollegiate athlet ics.” The so-called reflection of the Hayward Field-Autzen Stadium “O” looks more like a misplaced Calvin Klein letter. And what’s with the retro racing stripes? The interlocking “UO” that formerly graced the football helmets was fine, as was being represented by the Disney duck, not the color scheme of a mallard. Are people really going to be watching the Ducks play football and say: “Oh look, their football helmets look like a mallard’s head, could you pass me a beer?” The old uniforms — emerald green and lemon yellow — represented a sense of self, pride in Oregon and a uniform in which a player wouldn’t emerge from the tunnel fearing ridicule from fans because of his clothing. For respecting the desire to want to change the football uniforms and under standing the importance of comfort in ath letic gear, a thumbs up to the athletic de partment for taking comfort, versa tility and improvement into con sideration. The uniforms are actu ally quite comfortable and practical, players said. But in the area of style, this is one aspect that was lost. Football isn’t a fashion show, but this new mesh en semble prides our team on its threads and not its playing skills. Nike and CEO Phil Knight receive thanks from many students for the library and the new law school, but they really botched up de signing the new uniforms. I think one student actually gagged when I casually men tioned the new attire. However, it is said that the football players favor the new uniforms, and if they can wear these new things proudly, more power to them. Maybe this is a new dominating and intimidat ing step into the new millen nium with new sports tech nology. But how hard would it have been to make the uniforms look good? Unfortunately, there really is nothing sig nificant that students and fans can do about the mallard costumes our football team will be wearing next season — except cringe at the sight of our Lycra-clad lads. Amy Goldhammer is a columnist for the Emer ald. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the neiespaper. Gioi'anni Salem ma/Emerald Readers should make voices heard Any newspaper worth its weight in newsprint strives to be a re flection of its community. Newspapers are, or at least should be, sympathetic to complaints and suggestions from community members re garding the issues covered and the way they are covered. By ignoring those letters, phone calls and e-mails, newspapers are ignoring their most important critic: the readers. Without a newspaper’s community, which is made up of newspaper readers, there would be no newspaper. With that said, the Emerald would like to improve its role in the community — the University and the city of Eugene. To do that, we would like to improve and increase your voice on the Emerald’s Per Inside the Emerald Ryan Frank spectives page, page two of every issue. All newspapers want their perspectives page — otherwise known as an ed itorial page—to be a bulletin board of ideas and issues that are discussed in a local coffee shop, on the bus or around the water cooler. You can help the Emerald and the discussion in the community with a letter to the editor or a guest editorial. Letters to the editor must be less than 250 words and may be edited for length, clarity, grammar, style and libel. Letters can be dropped off at our front desk in EMU Suite 300, e mailed to ode@darkvving. uoregon.edu or mailed toP.O. Box 3159. Guest editorials can be up to 750 words long and are subject to an editorial board re view before being published. In general, guest editorials must reflect the thoughts of an informed reader on an issue important to the campus community. The input the Emerald and other readers receive from letters to the editor and guest editorials helps al 1 of us formulate more in formed opinions about the issues that are important to our lives. We do strive to reflect our University com munity, and your increased participation will put us closer to our goal. Ryan Frank is the Emerald s editor in chief. He can Ik reached eia e-mail at ode@oregon .uoregon edit. CORRECTION The Jan. 5 article "Bike bridge has unique design” should have said the original bridge lay on the Austrian/ Czech Republic bor der. The Jan. 5 article “ASUO helps stu dents sell their own books, choose their price," should have said: students offer ing their books on consignment should go to the comptrol ler’s office Jan. 20 22 to pick up their money or unsold books. The Emerald re grets these errors CLARIFICATION The top story on page one on Jan. 5 should have read: “Commission may include student rep resentation."
