Let’s deal in a hypothetical. Suppose in four or five years the Ducks have a star wide receiver with a wild side. We’ll call him Cliff Masoli.
It’s the heat of the summer a few weeks before fall practice, and after a grueling voluntary team workout, Cliff wants to blow off a little steam. A d-lineman tells him about a party on the other side of campus. It’s Saturday night and he thinks, “Sure.” He chills with a couple of guys until it gets cooler, takes a shower and shaves and heads over to the party. He’s feeling good, wearing his favorite Hawaiian shirt, some board shorts and flip flops. Last week a guy he knows hooked him up with some designer sunglasses, and he’s relaxed, full of the testosterone God blessed him with, confident and full of energy.
At the party he has a little too much to drink and makes an awkward pass at a girl. Her boyfriend jumps in, all hot to defend her honor and his own against the big stud arrogant football player. There’s a stand off, some hard stares, trash talk. Somebody shoves somebody and the boyfriend falls awkwardly down a flight of stairs, landing badly on his neck. The paramedics come, put him on a board. He ends up in intensive care.
And suppose, in this horrible hypothetical, that the only source of information about the incident, the investigation and any disciplinary action is the Oregon Athletic Department.
Control of information corrupts, and absolute control of information corrupts absolutely.
The Ducks are building two giant black obelisks to the sky, impressive edifices that signify success, football supremacy and money. There’s a danger that the program will become increasingly isolated, bolder in limiting access and more rigid in the face of controversy.
They just hired Rob Moseley, one of the best college football reporters in the country, to be their in-house blogger and the editor-in-chief of their sports website, goducks.com. They lured him from the Register-Guard. Just recently the Oregonian fired two of their best sports reporters. Newspapers are a dying business. It’s too easy to deliver content right to someone’s desk at work, cheaply and quickly with far more visual appeal.
Moseley’s hiring is a brilliant stroke by the Ducks. With one move they’ve changed the sports conversation, as innovatively as they scheme offensive plays or create a brand. Rob is decent, principled, objective and a true professional. As an in-house reporter he’ll offer Duck fans an all-access pass to players, coaches and practice. The content stream he’ll produce will be tremendous. He’s worked tirelessly on the same beat at the Register-Guard, and the following he has, the relationships he’s built, his enormous personal integrity and credibility make him the perfect person for this job.
The former R-G lead writer has been and will be the most trusted source for Oregon football information available, and now with improved access to sources and happenings, his site will be dynamite to read. Rob is funny and concise. I’ve always enjoyed his work; in fact, posting comments on his blog inspired me to start this one.
The Oregon Athletic Department just defeated the NCAA. They have powerful allies in the sports business world, and they have the most entertaining football team in the country, one that’s among the favorites to win it all this season and possibly the next.
An independent press, though, is one of the most sacred foundations of our country. Suppose the government, Monsanto, Halliburton, and BP adopted the same model as the Oregon Ducks.
We’d never hear what happened to the boy who fell down the flight of stairs. Or anyone who fell.
[Note to readers: this is a fan blog, 90% of the time an unabashed celebration of Duck football. We strive to be thoughtful and entertaining. We love doing the player profiles and the optimistic, energetic stuff, but once in a while we have to talk about issues, concerns and perspectives, even beyond football. We try to approach everything with heart and integrity. Not every post appeals to every reader. We always welcome your feedback, both positive and critical. DN, DSH]
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
