“It’s white collar-blue collar. it’s like, ‘oh, look how nice their facilities are!’ ..
“It seems like they get babied. They got some crazy stuff over there, and it’s neat to see all that stuff, but you don’t need all that fancy stuff to have a good, winning program. All you need is a pair of cleats, helmet, shoulder pads and great coaches. And I think that’s what we have (at OSU).”
Here are a couple of questions that come to mind:
• Does he have a point? Is Oregon white collar? Is Oregon State blue collar? Why?
• Have the Oregon football players done anything to deserve the “fancy stuff”?
• How would the perception of the schools differ if a donor gave OSU $100 million dollars? Would they still be “blue collar”?
JJ
Here’s the discussion at BeaverSportsNews.com.
Tags: Beavers, Ducks, Football, Oregon State University, University of Oregon
UO Student Says:
December 6th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
yes, there are class differences. it has something to do with the focus of the respective universities, something about the cultures of the two towns, and nike definitely helps make oregon cooler than OSU.
Treston Says:
December 6th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
I would not call it a class difference. I’m a die hard duck fan, and have been for years. I grew up in a rural town North East of Springfield, and currently live in Springfield. There are definitely differences between the two cities both. One city is built around a university of the arts, with a law school, the other is built around the agriculture and timber industry. Eugene politics are built more around idealistic and Springfield’s is more Blue Collar. I liken these differences to the similar ones shared by UofO and OSU. One is a school of the arts and the other is of agriculture. There are basic philosophical differences there, but I don’t think they have to do with class.
What does have to do with class, however, is something I experienced at Reaser stadium during last year’s civil war. I was standing among some Beaver fans in my duck gear, and there were a lot of trash talking and jabbing, which was all just fine with me. What was a little different was that there was this dad standing there with his two young boys, and much to the joy of the rest of the group was shouting things outloud that were just not suitable for anyone, let alone his children. Things like calling the quarterback, who was not even playing “Radio” and yelling out the “R” word probably 100 times throughout the game, yelling across the crowd things he hypothetically did with Coach’s wife. I think this shows a certain difference, because if someone was yelling those things at Autzen, they would be shunned, and I think pretty much told to shut up, not cheered. I know that home fans can be pretty harsh, and I’m not excluding UofO fans from that generalization. I’ve been to several venues other than Autzen, and I’ve never heard anything more tacky than that experience. If you want to relate something to class, that mentality is it.
wheaton4prez Says:
December 7th, 2007 at 3:01 am
What are we talking about here? The difference between the football programs? The fans? The universities?
I think there is a difference in what types of fields each university focuses on. But, those differences exist between any two schools in the country. I don’t think that puts either in different classes in the traditional sense of the term.
The fans tend to buy into a percieved difference in class between the two schools. But, by my observations, the fan bases are pretty much made up of the same folks. Just some of them have had some attachment to one school or the other.
Regarding the football programs and DeVans comments, Oregon clearly has more support in terms of both number of fans and donations. A lot of Beaver fans seem to buy into the idea that, when they win, it’s because they “have more heart”, etc. I’m sure it’s more exciting for them to imagine that they are the David vs. the Goliath. But, I don’t think this has anything to do with class. It’s just romanticizing and exaggerating the implications of a year that they won. The historical win/loss record between the two teams demonstrates that stronger support actually does lead to better teams more often. Babying works, if you will.
One has to wonder if cashing in on quaint ideas like this actually has a detrimental effect on the program. Is it really healthy for a team to think that, when they win, it’s because they over-came all odds? Or, would it be better to just acknowledge that they are an established team, playing other established teams and everyone should be expected to play to a high standard by now? Maybe the healthy Beavers wouldn’t have been demolished by Cincinatti if they didn’t go into the game thinking they are the poor, small-town kids with only cleats, helmets and shoulder pads.
Oregonduck55 Says:
December 7th, 2007 at 9:20 am
I agree with Treston about the kids at Reser, I won’t go to a game there anymore. Little kids have come up to me in my Oregon gear and yelled “YOU SUCK” and that does appear to be normal behavior in Corvallis. Most telling to me however is that I support and root for OSU anytime and anywhere they are playing except when they are playing the Ducks. I was amped to see them win the national title in baseball last year. The Beavers I know absolutely hate the Ducks and root against them everytime and seem to find joy in any adverse news concerning the Ducks. Over the years, I have witnessed the Autzen crowd react positively to an announced OSU score if they are leading, at Reser, if an Oregon score is announced and the Ducks are losing, I know the crowd goes wild with the news. At the Civil War in Autzen this year I saw a 7 year old kid in beaver gear jumping up and down at his seat with both middle fingers extened saying F#$K the Ducks and his Dad stopped him but only after letting the rant go on for a bit. Pops had a look of pride on his face, no kidding. I think the fan bases are miles apart, I will take Oregon anyday.
Duck54 Says:
December 7th, 2007 at 9:45 am
I really don’t think that the students and graduates are that much different. Having said that, a lot of the Beaver “fans”, those who didn’t go to school there but have chosen OSU as their team (and many of them live in the more rural areas) are quite often, shall we say in a diplomatic way, a lot less refined in their behavior and language. As Treston points out, what is acceptable behavior at the Potato Salad Stadium would not be condoned at Autzen. I admit, I root for OSU when they don’t play the Ducks, but many of their fans are embarassing.
admin Says:
December 7th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
I will share a little bit about the One Click Sports News experience at both Reser and Autzen stadiums. It’s trivial, but it was a noticeable difference.
When we have been at both stadiums doing promotions and marketing work, it became very evident to our staff that Beaver fans were significantly more expressive about how the showed their “fandom” on their vehicles. Beaver fans seem to decorate their vehicles with more flags, stickers, and stuff than Oregon fans do.
What struck us was that it was overwhelmingly clear, and something we did not expect.
I don’t know what that says about the two schools. It’s just an observation.
JJ
Ryan Says:
December 7th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
In the grand scheme of things, i.e. when considering all institutions of higher learning in this country, Oregon and Oregon State are on the same side of the “class” track. Neither are elite universities nor does a UO or OSU degree guarantee much of anything. Sure, there are exceptional alumni, but let’s not argue over supposed “class differences” in a sea of mediocrity.
Instead, the two schools should be supportive of each other in the national arena to increase and better their exposure–both as academic and athletic institutions. A rivalry is only beneficial when it is built on mutual respect and not on petty bickering.
Michael Says:
December 8th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
“In the greater scheme”…Ryan. let’s not confuse perception with reality… Oregon is a founding member of the Association of American Schools and Universities ( AAU). This is an elite group of universities with just over 60 members. Oregon’s peer members in this group are Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, UW, and other premier academic universities. Membership is by invitation with qualification based on academics, faculty, and research, among other factors. As both a Duck and Beaver alum I believe both are academically far above “mediocrity.” Regrettably the friction between UO and OSU is leading to a disrespect for athletes, fans, and the academic quality of the institutions.
O-HolierThanThou Says:
December 18th, 2007 at 3:48 am
Now that we’ve read all the fictional accounts to taint history to our personal liking, let’s look at some actual video from the ‘07 civil war game. Yes, these are two duck fans being arrested for assault. http://youtube.com/watch?v=VTN47LDRtxE
Oh, this includes all the “high-brow” vain attempts from above. They are very thinly veiled, “Gentlemen”.
It is embarrassing and we cannot condone this from Oregon fans any longer.
beaver shooter Says:
December 18th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Ummm and my response to O holier than thou’s moronic attempt to portray ducks fans as worse than barkrats…I guess since we draw about 15,000-20,ooo more fans than you do EVERY GAME…I would imagine the ratio of drunk’s would go up too….I did notice that I did not see anyone get arrested in that video …nice try though moron…
O-HolierThanThou Says:
January 5th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
beaver shooter, if you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
I ignored your name calling ( part of the problem?) to see your real message. Maybe you didn’t view the correct video.