How the Oregon Ducks Uniforms Make Them a Better Team

If you’re like 40% of our country, you follow college sports. And if thats the case, chances are you’ve caught a glimpse of Oregon’s seemingly endless combination of extravagant jerseys, pants, helmets and accessories. Some college football fans have the old school mentality that there is no room for that type of flash in the game of college football. Others believe Oregon’s gaudy gear adds to their intimidation factor and supplements their full throttle style of play. When a team is winning, winning BIG, and looking good doing it, I can’t imagine other teams look forward to the week Oregon shows up on their schedule. But, can the football team’s success be attributed solely to their creative and flashy uniforms? Would the team have the same winning pattern if they suited up like an Alabama or Penn State squad with the bare minimum? Or do the uniforms simply play a superficial role in creating a false image of intimidation? While the undeniable success of the team (regardless of how the latest championship game ended) obviously can’t be credited to just one factor, here’s an argument for why Oregon’s jazzy uniforms really do make them a better team.

Oregon Ducks Football Uniform

Know your market: think like a teenager

Imagine you’re a sixteen-year-old kid who is about to get a new car and are fortunate enough to have your choosing of any car in the country. Do you go for dad’s old faithful pickup truck that may not look the part, but can get the job done on a consistent basis? Or do you opt for that souped up BMW with a killer paint job, loud engine, and a full sound system? Remember, you’re a sixteen-year-old, what things are important to high school kids? Being cool, and attracting the opposite sex. It’s not always about modesty and humility at that age. There are forces at play that can sway a sixteen-year-old’s decision that aren’t relevant to someone maybe in their upper 20’s or 30’s. Chances are, that kid is going for the “Ultimate Driving Machine”.

Now, imagine you’re that same kid, but this time you happen to be an All-State Quarterback for your high school’s team, and you’re good enough to have your choosing of any university in the country to continue your young football career. Do you go for a team like Alabama or Penn State who have 2 colors each and only 2 different uniform combinations? Or do you opt for a team that has boundless uniform combinations, a team that comes up with a new, creative, badass uniform combination EVERY WEEK?

Oregon Ducks Uniforms

Sure, going with a school like Alabama means you’ll be a part of one of the best programs in the country, and maybe if you were making the decision three years ago, you’d choose to play for a team thats consistently in contention for the National Title over the ability to wear cool uniforms. But now, the Oregon Ducks have proven patterns of winning over the past couple seasons, and even made it to the first CFP National Championship game.

Even without a CFP Championship win, the Ducks are one of the hottest teams in the league. They’re winning, winning BIG, and looking good doing it. Every high school football star wants to play for the Ducks, and suit up in one of those badass uniforms. Oregon has a HUGE edge now when it comes to recruiting. Their uniforms appeal to Millennials, so the high school athletes that are good enough to go anywhere are beginning to choose Oregon. They have more to offer to a young kid with different values than their fathers.

Oregon revolutionized the game when they started rolling out new unis every week. The former go-to college football giants are losing market share in the recruiting world because of it. When more and more kids want to come play for your school, you get the cream of the crop.

Negativity Coming From Outside Their Target Market Doesn’t Effect Them

To the old school college football fans that don’t think there’s room for Oregon’s flashy gear, understand this: You are not who the Oregon Ducks are trying to market to! They don’t care if you’d like for teams to wear basic, lifeless, two-color uniforms. They’re marketing to Millennials, the kids coming out of high school that want to win, win BIG, and look good doing it. Oregon changed the game with their cutting edge uniforms, and its giving them an edge. They know exactly who they want to market to, and they do it perfectly.