The CardBoard
brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - Printable Version

+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon (/thread-16644.html)


brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - washingtonismoney - 10-23-2018

Knight comes off as a first-class ass in this article: https://psmag.com/education/the-secret-betrayal-that-sealed-nikes-special-influence-over-the-university-of-oregon

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - Hulk01 - 10-23-2018

Very hard to read.  I knew Dave well--so well that I appear on the cover of his original campaign literature for the Oregon House of Representati es. And I knew Phil Knight from my association with Nike's Athletics West track and field team and many of Phil's top lieutenants.  Dave was a very good man and what he and his wife Lynn suffered seems utterly cruel to me, as it did to them.

And I met Thomas Unger more than once, including during the time when Nike descended on campus with their rebranding initiative.  The strong attitude among many people at the U of O then was that the football program was independent of the university, which to a large degree was a partly-owned subsidiary of Nike.  It's unlikely you can find a school anywhere in America where so many people harbor so much ambivalence, or even disdain, toward the football program. 

This story explains why I am part of that.  I hate the Ducks, the only thing in my beautiful native state about which I can say that.  The team doesn't 't belong there; there is nothing Oregonian about the Oregon team. 

Dislike the Cougars, too.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - CTcard - 10-23-2018

(10-23-2018, 01:17 PM)Hulk01 Wrote:  The strong attitude among many people at the U of O then was that the football program was independent of the university, which to a large degree was a partly-owned subsidiary of Nike.  It's unlikely you can find a school anywhere in America where so many people harbor so much ambivalence, or even disdain, toward the football program. 

I don't know UO well enough to make a comparative statement.

Broadly speaking there is ambivalence at most universities about the big money sports. My reading is that faculty and staff, broadly speaking, are sports fans. However, they are also typically concerned about just what the embrace of professional-lite sports has done to the mission and image of universities. The biggest concerns are the dollars drawn out of the universities by most major sports programs. My impression is that there is far more support at those few universities where sports at least fund themselves and where the most rampant compromises are held in check.

I would imagine things at UO are particularly raw. As the article notes, UO was one of the state flagship schools first hit with the state getting out of the business of supporting the state university. This has severely hit the quality of its offerings across the board.

Quote:And I met Thomas Unger more than once, including during the time when Nike descended on campus with their rebranding initiative. 

I assume you mean Tom Hager, the director of communications?

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - d4cohn - 10-23-2018

(10-23-2018, 01:17 PM)Hulk01 Wrote:  This story explains why I am part of that.  I hate the Ducks, the only thing in my beautiful native state about which I can say that.  The team doesn't 't belong there; there is nothing Oregonian about the Oregon team. 

How about also the efforts of the then Oregon softball coach to get our softball coach fired? And their AD did nothing about it, nor acknowledged it.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - Mick - 10-23-2018

(10-23-2018, 03:03 PM)d4cohn Wrote:  
(10-23-2018, 01:17 PM)Hulk01 Wrote:  This story explains why I am part of that.  I hate the Ducks, the only thing in my beautiful native state about which I can say that.  The team doesn't 't belong there; there is nothing Oregonian about the Oregon team. 

How about also the efforts of the then Oregon softball coach to get our softball coach fired? And their AD did nothing about it, nor acknowledged it.

He had an impressive amount of influence.  His daughter went to Stanford, was injured, sought to retain her athletic scholarship, was denied.  the Oregon coach was broadly motivated, IMHO, to subvert the program, along with another local parent.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - d4cohn - 10-23-2018

(10-23-2018, 04:05 PM)Mick Wrote:  
(10-23-2018, 03:03 PM)d4cohn Wrote:  
(10-23-2018, 01:17 PM)Hulk01 Wrote:  This story explains why I am part of that.  I hate the Ducks, the only thing in my beautiful native state about which I can say that.  The team doesn't 't belong there; there is nothing Oregonian about the Oregon team. 

How about also the efforts of the then Oregon softball coach to get our softball coach fired? And their AD did nothing about it, nor acknowledged it.

He had an impressive amount of influence.  His daughter went to Stanford, was injured, sought to retain her athletic scholarship, was denied.  the Oregon coach was broadly motivated, IMHO, to subvert the program, along with another local parent.

Sure, I know that. However, my broader point was more the inaction on the part of their AD. Regardless of his connection to our program, that is still a massive potential conflict-of-interest, and it is still not a great look for a Pac-12 program to have their coach get a coach at another Pac-12 school fired, and then do nothing about it, and pretend like it didn't happen.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - BobK - 10-23-2018

Mick she was not injured and she did quit the team. Not going to get into the reason for quitting and wishing her all the best. But quitting and keeping her scholarship is not right. Remember it's partial and her money could then go to others who did not quit.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - Phogge - 10-23-2018

Nike was scared to death of shows like 60 Minutes. They always assumed that you were going to do a hit place. In the end they were just a bunch of little people with big egos who thought they were the best thing since sliced brisket. Last time I was offered a Nike assignment I turned it down. Wasn’t worth the angst. Worst PR people in the sports business, worse than the Yankees and that’s saying something.

That said I spent two weeks on stories about Athletics West in 1979. Ended up with a former shotputter as my soundman for 25 years. Great two weeks. AW way ahead of its time.

Also had a friend with Cali plates who had his tires slashed in Seaside. Sorry Hulk, the state is not fond of visitors.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - Hulk01 - 10-24-2018

I'd love to hear your Athletics West stories.  I was there in the beginning with Harry Johnson, Tony Sandoval, and Jeff Wells, and Rob Strasser was involved on the Nike corporate side, and I lived off their free list for a few years.


The mentality was certainly unusual.  After Strasser moved over to take the CMO job at Adidas, Nike people who saw him approaching them on a Portland street would cross to the opposite sidewalk to avoid him. 

The place never suffered from a confidence shortage. 

I really liked Harry but strongly questioned his approach.  I was a classic Lydiard/Bowerman guy, which meant a passionate advocate of Hard/easy--three hard days a week even in the most intense stretches. 

I also knew Neil Goldschmidt well, but not well enough as it turned out.  His demise startled me.
(10-23-2018, 04:57 PM)Phogge Wrote:  Nike was scared to death of shows like 60 Minutes. They always assumed that you were going to do a hit place. In the end they were just a bunch of little people with big egos who thought they were the best thing since sliced brisket. Last time I was offered a Nike assignment I turned it down. Wasn’t worth the angst. Worst PR people in the sports business, worse than the Yankees and that’s saying something.

That said I spent two weeks on stories about Athletics West in 1979. Ended up with a former shotputter as my soundman for 25 years. Great two weeks. AW way ahead of its time.

Also had a friend with Cali plates who had his tires slashed in Seaside. Sorry Hulk, the state is not fond of visitors.
I spent many days of my teen years in Seaside, including at the Pypo Club, where the song Louie Louie was written.  I grew up 20 miles south of there.

I always appreciated visitors but agree about Oregonian's hostility to outsiders.  The famous "Don't Californicate Oregon" bumper stickers seem telling.   And the Oregon football fans tend to ugliness, although many of those kids are Californians.
A PHogge, I'm trying to recall the AW shot putter.  Mac Wilkins threw for AW, but I always think of him as a discus guy first and foremost.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - Phogge - 10-24-2018

Feuerbach, still totting a mixer for the CBS LA Bureau. Was on the road with him for decades. Think Harry is still alive. His wife was on the staff at AW. We profiled Dog Brown, Mac, Al and the javelin guy whose name I can’t remember (and who was killed in a truck accident). Also did a lengthy profile of the team and the work/training program. The irony about spending six months on a series shot in the USA and Europe was that a week before its debut (24 week run up to the Moscow games) the president ordered the USA boycott. Show was canceled. Four years later went back for profiles of Mary Decker, Alberto Salazar and Rudy Chapa.

Mac and Al and a few other athletes sued the USOC, to no avail. That’s probably why it took so long for Feuerbach to make the US Track and Field HOF. They couldn’t keep Mac out with his gold and silver but Al waited 25 years.

Still a great two weeks in Eugene in June despite the hay fever.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - Hulk01 - 10-24-2018

The javelin thrower likely was one of the Crouser brothers.  Russ Francis, the all pro TE for the Patriots, was a world class javelin thrower but went for the big money.
I forgot that Al F was with AW.  I didn't see much of the throwers.
I was at the party at Geoff Hollister's after the big Twilight duel between Pre and Frank.  I'd seen Pre a lot but never met him until that night.  The rest, of course, is history. 

I remember the next morning, I can stlll picture Jon Fusnner entering the law review office and calling back to me, "Harry, You hear about Pre?"

"Sure, I was there," I said.  "He smoked Frank!"

"No," Jon answered.  "He died."

God I hate that story.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - Phogge - 10-24-2018

Looked at my notes. Javelin Guy was Bob Roggy. I think he fell off the back of a pickup and hit his head.

Hulk, have you watched the Robert Towne movie with the Hemingway girl, Kennie Moore and Scott Glen. Think it was called Personal Best. A bunch of AW athletes had bit parts.

RE: brutal article about Phil Knight and the University of Oregon - 82lsju - 10-24-2018

(10-24-2018, 03:34 PM)Phogge Wrote:  Looked at my notes. Javelin Guy was Bob Roggy. I think he fell off the back of a pickup and hit his head.

JAVELIN STAR ROGGY DIES IN ACCIDENT

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-08-04-8602260052-story.html