Nike's New Floor at Univ of Oregon

I had my first pair of waffle trainers back in the late 70’s.  They like every other pair of running shoes were discarded long before they wore out.  I have a son who works on Nike advertising for their digital agency R/GA since 2007 when they first went digital in a really big way.  On any given Saturday in the fall we see tons of colleges with Nike logos on them, fewer with the three stripes of Adidas, and a smattering of Under Armor logos.

Nike is at it again with a whole new place in which to show their pride and spirit.  The University of Oregon, the beneficiary of much largess from their “neighbor with benefits” Nike, is now installing a new floor in their new Matthew Knight Arena.  In 60 days when it opens it will have a floor covering featuring a unique image that hopes to give everyone a view called “Deep in the Woods.”  One of the hopes, I suspect, is to strike fear in the hearts of visiting basketball players, much like the blue “Smurf Truf” at Boise State.

I don’t know about striking fear in the hearts of the visitors, but it is likely to give vertigo or something like that to players running down the court on a fast break.  We used to worry about a collision with a defender now we’ll have to worry about running into a tree, or at least the image of one.

Nike is nothing if not creative.  I can’t wait to see what they will do next, and to see what Adididas and Under Armor might try as well.  How about the Adidas ‘three stipes’ on California prisoner uniforms for our ‘three strikers.’  California could use some of that good endorsement money.  I’ll call Adidas in Herzogenerach, Germany tomorrow with my money making idea – yeah, that’s the ticket!