NO BASEBALL? WHO GIVES A FLYING DUCK!?

Whilst “Thirty before 30” is ultimately a baseball tour, I very much consider myself a “football guy” when it comes to American sports.

I love baseball as a spectator sport and the whole “no clock, anything can happen” narrative that goes with it, however growing up with playing and watching rugby union, there is something instantly relatable to American Football and the contact and teamwork that is necessary to beat your opposition man-on-man (as opposed a pitcher/batter bailing out the entire team as you might see in a baseball game).

So, as I travelled South from Seattle and was fortunate enough to check out the city of Portland, I immediately felt I needed to make the most of my location and travel slightly further South to see the University of Oregon, their campus and most importantly, their football stadium.

It is easy to view it odd that an Aussie would care about a College football program when it comes to American Football (as opposed to the NFL where we all have out teams and can follow the league easily). I mean, only a certain percentage of us would go on exchange and even then, very rarely would you find someone going to one of the bigger football colleges (with the exception of [shoutout Ro Geddes] those who attend the University of Miami).

However, whilst we might think it’s weird, there’s a lot to be said of the authenticity and pageantry when you see competitors playing their sport for the love of the game and not for their next big contract. Where they truly care about where they’re from, their community and their friends and family who support them.

Which brings me back to the University of Oregon.

The University of Oregon first came onto my radar in the 2010-11 College Football season.

At the time, I was already in die-hard Patriots NFL mode, and cheering the Pats on in the NFL was my main focus, with me only just dipping my toes in the world of College Football – i.e. trying to understand how the BCS rankings worked and the million different conferences (of which I am still no expert).

Without going into too much detail, the two best teams that year were clearly Auburn (led by now Panthers QB Cam Newton), and the Oregon Ducks (I can’t remember the QB but the running back LaMichael James – an NFL bust – was on fire that season).

Anyway, the Ducks each week would wear a different Nike uniform, as their famous alumni was none other than Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight. Not only did they look cool, but the way they played under coach Chip Kelly (ironically also an NFL coach bust like his RB James) was simply electric. With a high speed offense that was relatable to rugby, it was impossible not to cheer for them – even though they would ultimately come up short to Auburn in the BSC Championship game that year (which I watched with one of my best mates Sidney in Brazil no less).

The point I’m trying to make is, whilst possessing no specific allegiances to this college something about the Ducks reeled me in. Therefore, having the opportunity to visit their campus and witness their school spirit and facilities was truly an unforgettable experience. I won’t go into too much detail about what I saw on their campus (most of it involved me walking around aimlessly and taking in a women’s softball game – which was awesome), rather, what I’ll do is simply post some of the cool pictures which is certainly an early highlight of this journey.

Whether you like college sports or not, I hope you can enjoy and get some appreciation from these.