The University of Oregon has unveiled its new football center. Paid for by Nike founder Phil Knight, an alum of the school, the facility is the very definition of opulence. Campus official refuse to say, even ballpark, how much the privately funded Football Performance Center cost.
David Sarasohn, a columnist for The Oregonian, called it a “pigskin palace” and described it as such:
Brazilian wood in the 25,000-square-foot weight room; a barbershop with waiting chairs from Milan; individual ventilation systems in each German-built locker (those pads can get niffy); an “evolving art installation” of glass ducks representing Oregon players who have “flown” to the NFL, with the initials of each player, color-coded to the round when he was drafted; Barcelona-built foosball games, with hand-painted figures representing Oregon and Pac-12 opponents; a head coach office with glass on three sides and a private staircase down to his parking spot.
Online comments after articles on the new center are mostly negative, calling it a blatant recruiting tool, a marketing ploy for Nike, and a prime example of the real priorities at many college campuses.
Words and phrases such as ridiculous and disgustingly ostentatious were oft posted.
The university’s recent NCAA recruiting infractions were also raised.
References to “Title IX” could be found here and there.
But there were also others who said: Not So Fast. For example, they pointed out Knight’s other, more academic-based contributions, to the University of Oregon and elsewhere.
LP from Portland: “Let’s not blame Nike or the U of O or any of the other amateur or professional sports organizations and media for what we, the fans, have demanded. We have met the monster and it is us.”
NYer from New York City: “The University of Oregon is a cutting edge, world class university and this Football Performance Center is a key driver of the university’s educational vision for the 21st century. To put it bluntly … Ivy is so last century.”
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