Oregon's new court

[BlueX]

http://www.goducks.com//pics31/1024/MK/MKWPRTLIMNMSCYJ.20101106012013.jpg

And yes it is finished.

[xudash]

http://www.goducks.com//pics31/1024/MK/MKWPRTLIMNMSCYJ.20101106012013.jpg

And yes it is finished.

To each their own I guess, but, just as it is with their football uniforms, they seem to go over the top out there with respect to design.

[X-Fan]

Stone Wash Court?

[CinciX12]

That is freaking awesome.

And that opinion will be in the vast, vast minority lol

[BandAid]

Looks like someone tried to convert it so beach volleyball can be played

[stophorseabuse]

So one side will just be concrete bleachers with only a front row of seats? That is VERY strange.

[MADXSTER]

Fail

[Blueblob4life]

So one side will just be concrete bleachers with only a front row of seats? That is VERY strange.

That might be the student section in all actuality. Think Duke-esq, but with Oregon's trademark tackiness.

[Blueblob4life]

Oh and according to these two articles, the floor is not finished yet but it has a lot of meaning behind it. I still think it's tacky as hell and not intimidating like they want it to be, but I do like how they're paying respect to various people with the floor design.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Oregon-s-new-arena-features-a-memorable-basketba?urn=ncaab-283060

http://www.uniwatchblog.com/2010/11/06/o-my-god-what-the-duck/

[danaandvictory]

I think it's pretty cool, but I have to admit the first time I looked at it I thought the aesthetic they were going for was "beat to hell YMCA court" in some sort of bizarre tribute to Mack Court.

[Snipe]

I really had no clue what I was looking at until I read the article. So now I can see the trees, but they don't look like cool trees. It just looks like garbage. And nobody really watches a game from above the court looking straight down, and this whole court design seems to only work when viewing from that vantage point.

Strange people out there. That is no surprise.

[Snipe]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/5150177568_2210c29192_o.jpg

That is what they are going for I guess. I think it looks better in the sales package than it does in the actual.

[Titanxman04]

Its Oregon doing their own thing... nothing new. I applaud them for being different, but I wouldn't like X to do something like that.

[Blueblob4life]

How awesome would it be if we had a giant sword or Musketeer Legion etched into our court? It'd be tacky but kinda cool. But let me bring it back to reality: we're not the University of Nike, er I mean Oregon.

[Snipe]

Another point I am thinking is that they should get credit for being original. If people start copycatting this I would give them even lower marks than Oregon unless it really is cool. Oregon had a cool thought, I wonder what it is going to look like on TV. I also wonder if they will position cameras from up above at every game there to give you the best view.

I wonder if any of this violates the rules, or if the rules will be modified in the future. I also wonder if 3-D art will ever be used on a basketball court from angles where they position the cameras. The things they are doing with 3-D art these days are incredible. Imagine that instead of a waterfall or a cliff that they have a sponsors logo jumping up and popping out at you.

Here are some 3-D streetscapes:

http://www.rehabdesign.co.uk/talk/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/3d-street-art-the-3d-stre-003.jpg

That is an actual street. In 3-D however, it is only cool if you look at it from one angle. Maybe they can make some computer algorithm that will be able to project an "X" Logo from every viewing angle some day by mixing the colors and the symmetry but I am out of my league there and trying to make up my ignorance with grandiose verbiage.

Here is some more:

http://www.european-street-painting.com/images/street%20art%20ford%20mexico_0510.jpg

Think of the advertising power you would have. You know where the predesigned camera angles are. You could build your 3-D advertisements just for that.

An interesting philosophical debate in literature is Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" vs. George Orwell's "1984" (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&q=brave+new+world+vs.+1984&aq=0&aqi=g3&aql=&oq=brave+new+world+vs.+&gs_rfai=) as visions of the future. Both feature mind control. One is more in line with thought control through mindless consumerism vs. 1984 which is "Big Brother" and the thought / speech police.

Here is one take (http://www.businessleadermagazine.com/index.aspx?page=articles.feb05.feb05_1984vsBraveNe wWorld):


Alongside Orwell's dark vision for 1984, there was the, slightly less well known, but equally chilling Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Contrary to common belief, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warned that we would be overcome by externally imposed oppression. In Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression and to adore the technologies that lead their oppression.

Here is another take (http://donteatthefruit.com/2009/06/dostoyevskys-1984-saved-him-from-our-brave-new-world/):


Postman highlights how Orwell and Huxley’s contrasting worries play out in information and importance. While Orwell worried that good information would be hidden by a scary government, Huxley worried good information would be hidden in a pile of insignificance.

Now I have read both books, and I think that Huxley's book does have a "big brother", and it was written before Orwell. The difference in the philosophical debate though are striking even if I don't agree with all of their points. I do think this: If "Big Brother" and the "Thought Police" ever take over society and control us, it is as about as likely that it will come from government as it will from a global informational company and the intelligence apparatus like Google.

Yesterday I read this thread by PMThor:

My Problem with the new look Cintas (http://www.xavierhoops.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16276)


Ok, just got back from the game, and after the "ooh, ahhh" moments wore off from the new scoreboard and ribbon boards, I realize I have a major, major problem.

Let me premise this by saying that the scoreboard is freaking sweet. It looks absolutely stunning. The ribbon board definitely jazz things up and are cool.

But.

All that was run on the ribbon boards for most, if not all, of the game is advertising. Hey did you know that if you stacked all of Cintas floor mats, they would be 31 times as high as the Empire State building? Yeah, if you attend the games, you'll know this factoid, over and over, and over again. After one exhibition game, I'm already sick of the ads. 5/3rd can especially shove it. It is incredibly distracting, you can't help but look at the ribbon. I felt like a moth to the flame many a time during the game.



I think that PMThor has a point. I can't stop looking at those things either. I sit in the upper deck. I have to look down at the court. Those things are always eye level. If you sat courtside the effect would not be as much. If the ribbon boards are just used to "educate the masses" all the time, I wonder how that plays out. They are cool. We are a major player with our new Cintas Center. But at some point not all things are beneficial.

I like the ribbon boards. I would rather have them than not have them. But are we losing something when we gain something else? Maybe so. And Cintas is a great company in my book and I like 5/3rd bank as well. This is not a diabolical plot to control the free world.

I remember when my youngest child used to go of the diving board in the summertime pool. He used to yell "Subway : Eat Fresh!" for some reason that I don't know. People thought it was cute so he kept on doing it. My youngest had never had Subway, but he was shouting the corporate mantra. "Brave new world" I thought. And when I read PMThor's post I thought "brave new world" as well. When I look at Oregon's basketball court I think we will see a lot more brave new world. The basketball court itself is intentionally designed to send a message. And this won't stop here. This is only the beginning.

Bengal football games as a child had little advertising. Today every stop in play is a marketing machine ready to rumble. And the best way to market is to convince the people it isn't even marketing. The best way to market is to embed you product into the game itself. Why not make your product part of the actual playing field? Oregon hasn't sold it's soul and sold out to the corporations, though they have sold out to the donors. They give a lot of that floor's significance to the big donor Kilkenny. What happens when the big donor becomes Nike or P&G?

I think it is interesting for no good reason whatsoever, and I waste a lot of time on stuff like this. It is a character flaw or something, or maybe even a genetic defect. And then I go and afflict it even on you. You don't deserve this. Why did you even read this post?

Here is another 3-D pic:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/2/24/1235474991214/3D-Street-Art-The-Crevass-002.jpg

Looks may deceive.

[waggy]

One time I had a dream I fell off a log into a hole like that. But I woke up before I hit the bottom.

[Blueblob4life]

One time I had a dream I fell off a log into a hole like that. But I woke up before I hit the bottom.

Those dreams are usually the creepiest and tend to happen after I've had some good drinks that night. They also tend to turnaround into awesome dreams when I land on a cloud of gorgeous women/victoria's secret models. It's sometimes a cruel trick but usually works out in the end

[waggy]

I love waking up not dead.

[Blueblob4life]

I love waking up not dead.

you sir, are brilliant in your observations. I too enjoy waking up not dead.

[BandAid]

I woke up dead once...it wasn't that bad...

[aceylone777]

Where on earth is the midcourt line?!

[Backyard Champ]

Love that court.

[drudy23]

What the hell does it say below the big "O" in the middle?

[More Cowbell]

That is pretty sweet.

[DC Muskie]

I'm old. I think it sucks.

Oregon is the girl you went to school with who tried to be hip, but really deep down she was just a loser who did weird stuff so people would know that she actually existed.

So basically Oregon isn't cute or slutty enough to bang, so she comes up with weird stuff like this court.

[danaandvictory]

What the hell does it say below the big "O" in the middle?

It's the logo of the arena and is supposed to sort of say "Matt", as in Matthew Knight, Phil Knight's deceased son.

[MADXSTER]

I'm old. I think it sucks.

Oregon is the girl you went to school with who tried to be hip, but really deep down she was just a loser who did weird stuff so people would know that she actually existed.

So basically Oregon isn't cute or slutty enough to bang, so she comes up with weird stuff like this court.

What DC said.

[Masterofreality]

I'm old. I think it sucks.

Oregon is the girl you went to school with who tried to be hip, but really deep down she was just a loser who did weird stuff so people would know that she actually existed.

So basically Oregon isn't cute or slutty enough to bang, so she comes up with weird stuff like this court.

I'll bet they never wash that court either.

Hippies...

[94GRAD]

I was told it is supposed to look like trees are surrounding the court. You can only see this from an aerial view.

[golfitup]

They may as well just re-name the school the University of Nike.

[Muskie91]

They KIL-led KENNY, those bastards!

[PMI]

I'm no fan. In fact, I think it's the most hideous thing I've ever seen inside a basketball arena save when I saw Josh Boone play at Verizon Center.

[coasterville95]

I was thinking - that's one way to solve the "fans sitting on hands" problem, if you remove the seats!

For safety they could have little railings to prevent you from falling into the next row, and those railings could have cup holders for your beer and maybe even a little shelf to sit your food on so your hands are free to clap and cheer.

[XULucho27]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/5150177568_2210c29192_o.jpg

Even in this mockup, which appears to have all the lines, I fail to see a half-court line. There seems to be a faint white line at about half-court near the sidelines but nothing in the middle of the court. How are refs supposed to deal with that? Just eyeball it?

I don't like this.
I fear change. :p

[danaandvictory]

They may as well just re-name the school the University of Nike.

I don't think anyone out in Eugene is in a hurry to give the money back. The new law school and basketball arena are absolutely stunning and students/taxpayers aren't footing the bill. That's a really neat campus and town.

It seems (anecdotally) like there are a lot of people who have a problem with the close relationship between Oregon and Nike. Which seems strange in a country that contains prominent universities founded on the back of the Vanderbilt, Duke, and Stanford fortunes. Not to mention the incredibly close relationship between FedEx and the University of Memphis, or between T.Boone Pickens and Oklahoma State.

Personally I think Oregon's uniforms and athletic marketing are pretty awesome. There's room for old-school and new-school, as far as I'm concerned.

[PMI]

I don't think anyone out in Eugene is in a hurry to give the money back. The new law school and basketball arena are absolutely stunning and students/taxpayers aren't footing the bill. That's a really neat campus and town.

It seems (anecdotally) like there are a lot of people who have a problem with the close relationship between Oregon and Nike. Which seems strange in a country that contains prominent universities founded on the back of the Vanderbilt, Duke, and Stanford fortunes. Not to mention the incredibly close relationship between FedEx and the University of Memphis, or between T.Boone Pickens and Oklahoma State.

Personally I think Oregon's uniforms and athletic marketing are pretty awesome. There's room for old-school and new-school, as far as I'm concerned.

I totally agree with this post, I just personally don't like how it looks from an aesthetic point of view. As people have noted, the half court line can (and undoubtably will) be an issue. I think Boise's blue field is cool and I like certain courts that have different colors, patterns, wood, etc. I just think this court looks terrible. It'll probably give them a solid home court advantage though, I assume.

On a related note, anyone know the rules/standards for what can and can't fly as a court design? Looking at that court, I'd have to imagine there aren't many restrictions. I think our court should have a giant image of our celebrity X fan, Brooke Burke, laying across from one key to another.

[CinciX12]

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSdaQdPpvExa_oRJIykxkM6113JigYMT MYxRTTXvi7eQKjentI&t=1&usg=__tapwqwS1urrRfljWEIe5mJyeuAo=

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSn8375vzvz5bzL-A2RCW_fMPJfo70WaT8VwQUSZ3T-cfEVTkw&t=1&usg=__McKb-vkMab3ZJU8BlZlFdEsTQB0=

If I went I wouldn't look at the court.

[Ledgewood]

I just think they are trying to hard. It looks really stupid as a finished product, and its going to be hard for refs to see the top of the three point line and the half court line.

Not trying to sound like an uppity sports purist, but I've really hated pretty much anything Nike has created in the past few years... The new style football uniforms look like something from a 90's movie set in the future that has some made up sport in it,and the basketball uniforms look like clown outfits or maybe more like when they get little kids to take part in some halftime contest where they have to put on xxx large shorts and run across the court and make a layup for a prize basket.

Whatever, I guess I just have to listen to all the people around me saying "shut up, deal with it" like every other ridiculous thing that happens in life and everyone just seems to jump on board with.

Can't wait for the first 3D hologram court that makes it look like your favorite teams mascot is coming right at you!

[drudy23]

I just think they are trying to hard.

It's one thing not to like the court...but to actually have it arouse you?

[DC Muskie]

This is why I only buy Under Armour stuff.

Real.

Maryland.

St. John's College.

Boo ya!

[smileyy]

University of Oregon is basically Nike University, right?

I figure they're going to have to make some changes to make the various important lines on the court more distinct.

[Blueblob4life]

I'm old. I think it sucks.

Oregon is the girl you went to school with who tried to be hip, but really deep down she was just a loser who did weird stuff so people would know that she actually existed.

So basically Oregon isn't cute or slutty enough to bang, so she comes up with weird stuff like this court.

Have you seen Oregon's cheerleaders??? It should be illegal for them to have all the good looking ones.

[Ledgewood]

It's one thing not to like the court...but to actually have it arouse you?

AH HA!

but seriously. a light breeze does the trick.