This Won’t Go Down as Amateurs’ Finest Hour
Last season, Oregon spent $250,000 to put the likeness of quarterback Joey Harrington on a building across the street from New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
This year, the Ducks placed wide receiver Keenan Howry’s picture on a Times Square billboard for $300,000, which includes $50,000 for air time on the YES Network to televise Oregon games on a delayed basis.
William C. Rhoden of the New York Times questions Oregon’s latest marketing plan.
“Welcome to the multimillion-dollar world of college football, an industry where employees are called amateurs and employer-employee contracts are called scholarships. Howry looks Jim Thorpe-like, in black socks, black shoes, green jersey, helmet in hand, black armband, looking down on a daily throng of tourists, theatergoers and diners. He is surrounded by bright lights, advertisements for plays and products, gigantic images of the ‘Today’ show stars. In the middle of all this is a college football player--an amateur.
“This is where Oregon crossed the line that divides gaudy innovation from exploitation. Putting Harrington on a billboard to promote his candidacy for the Heisman Trophy is one thing. Putting Howry on a billboard to promote the university, the Oregon football program and a television deal is exploitive.”
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Trivia time: Who holds the modern record for most punt returns in a Rose Bowl game?
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Summer league champs: The Denver Nuggets, who have had six coaches over the last six years, are the only team in the NBA without a head coach, but that hasn’t stopped the franchise from getting excited about the team’s 6-0 summer-league record at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City.
“It was a great experience for them because they learned a lot,” Denver assistant Jeff Bzdelik told the Denver Post. “They played against people that will be playing in this league. We’re going to go back and review the things they did well, and mistakes. It’s something to build on.”
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Circus birds: Thanks to the arrival of quarterback Michael Vick, people in Atlanta are excited about the Falcons’ chances this season, but Terence Moore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a little more skeptical.
“The Falcons are resurrecting Dirty Bird fever, with a charismatic new owner, his expansive wallet and a slew of public relations moves along the lines of Barnum & Bailey, Bill Veeck or maybe just Home Depot. But Falcon players aren’t doing the talking, and neither are Falcon coaches. It’s just ownership, through the use of those gimmicks. Gimmicks are entertaining, but they also are temporary. Gimmicks work until the opening faceoff, tip, pitch or kickoff, and then it’s about winning.”
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Trivia answer: USC’s Randy Tanner, who returned seven punts for 90 yards against Michigan State in 1988.
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And finally: After Cleveland traded point guard Andre Miller to the Clippers for small forward Darius Miles, the Cavaliers’ Lamond Murray, rumored to be on the trading block despite averaging a career-high 16.6 points at small forward last season, questioned the direction of the franchise.
“Every year we keep rebuilding a house on no foundation. Ask yourself, how many promises would you keep believing if you were leading the team with scoring and your family and fans can’t even purchase your jersey from the team store?”
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Lonnie White