Why do you hate the Oregon Ducks?
Nov 5, 2010, 3:58 AM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:46 pm
I understand why Dawgs and Cougs don’t get along. It would be unnatural for in-state rivals to get along. But one thing that both teams seem to get into – hating the Oregon Ducks.
The Washington football team is 3-5 overall, 2-2 in the Pac-10, and will likely have a tough weekend in Eugene against the top-ranked Oregon Ducks. The Ducks have an impressive 8-0 overall record and they’re 5-0 in the Pac-10. My alma mater is back in the Midwest, so I’ve been secretly cheering for the Ducks for the past year or so. No longer a secret. I love the Ducks!
You don’t? Why do you hate the Ducks?
The Seattle Times had a fun little poll running with that question yesterday. Here are their results with about 3,000 votes.
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60% say they have smug, irritating fans
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13% don’t like their ugly uniform combinations
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12% are annoyed by Phil Knight’s deep pockets
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About 7% admit they don’t like that the Ducks are ranked #1 and are successful
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4% find Kenny Wheaton’s interception return worth hating
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2% don’t like the Duck mascot
Some of my friends on Facebook weigh in on this too.
“People tend to hate #1 teams around here because ‘we’ Seattle cannot win anything it seems,” says Susan Menchel.
Crindalyn Lyster says, “The hate goes way back – before Oregon was a good team, so it’s not because of Oregon’s recent climb to the top. Typically Dawg fans will rout for any northwest team, yes including the Cougars, if that team is playing south Pac-10 teams. I was born and raised in Oregon, but because my family are Huskies, it was engrained in me to dislike the Ducks.”
And Ben Rapson says beyond the typical rivalry between neighboring state colleges, the program at the University of Oregon has “nothing to do with Eugene.” Most of the Duck players are from other states and are imported for their talent.
