History buffs will appreciate Oregon's latest alternate uniform, especially if they ever get to hold one in hand. However, fully appreciating the Ducks' newest "look-at-us" venture through a television screen will prove to be far more difficult.
The Oregon "Pioneers" uniform commemorates the state's history with a nod to famous explorers Lewis and Clark, who blazed the Oregon Trail in the early 1800s. They'll be worn Saturday in Oregon's game against Washington State. Nike released some photos and notes about the alt look, beginning with a "sublimated" tonal map of the state from its exploration years, woven into the jerseys.
It's quite intricate, and quite impressive.
It's also going to be quite impossible for television viewers to pick up on such refined details. Not that a television audience should necessarily be the central factor when alt uniforms are designed. After all, the uniforms are being publicized here and elsewhere. However, the way such uniforms are perceived is largely a function of how they look through the only medium the vast majority of fans will ever see them -- through the tube rather than in person.
A bit more plainly visible will be silhouettes of the explorers, one holding a telescope, on the side of the helmet. There are several other more understated nods to Oregon history built into the look.
Long-term, it will look great in a display case in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, Oregon's football building.
On TV, it will look like just another unusual Ducks outfitting.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
