January 15, 2011

Lets complain about a problem that doesn't exist


Apparently people are freaking out over Oregon's court because of the reflection from the LED ribbon around the Duck's new arena (see the reflection in that photo). I personally think that's a load of crap because...

(1) Every arena in America now has the LED ribbon
(2) Every arena in America has a basketball court that reflects the ribbon (Watch an NBA game you dolts!)

But alas, people are quick to condemn Oregon's court which is very, very Pacific Northwest-y.

If USC coach Kevin O'Neill had the urge to cover his eyes to avoid watching his team's discouraging 68-62 loss to last-place Oregon on Thursday night, he can at least take solace that he wasn't alone.

TV viewers from coast to coast had the same experience as a result of the headache-inducing glare from the iridescent ribbon board lining the upper level of Oregon's newly built Matthew Knight Arena.

The above photo offers a glimpse of the blinding reflection visible throughout the first-ever game at the $237 million arena built to replace venerable MacArthur Court. Add in the fact that the ribbon board changed color from white to yellow to green to blue every few seconds, and it made watching the game feel like staring into a strobe light.

Hard as it may be to believe, complaints over the glare actually overshadowed reaction to the unveiling of Oregon's crazy new basketball floor. The court is framed on all sides by a forest of brown-and-tan fir trees, an homage to the school's picturesque Pacific Northwest setting and to Oregon's 1939 national title team nicknamed "The Tall Firs."

Like the famed blue "Smurf Turf" at Boise State's football stadium, Oregon's forest floor is meant to be an iconic design that will immediately be recognizable to TV viewers nationwide. The design already generated buzz this summer and will surely draw more attention in the coming weeks.

Considering how much thought went into everything from the steeply tiered seats to the duck's epic entrance from the rafters to the "Deep In the Woods" slogan on the floor, it's tough to believe nobody bothered to check how the court would look on TV. Whether that's true or whether somebody just signed off on the TV image too quickly, that's a pretty brutal oversight.


Isn't this one of the dumbest things you've heard? There's an LED reflection everywhere, but since it's a new court, people have to complain.

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