The Greatest Fans on Earth

Korrin B.

February 7, 2009 - 5:00 PM

Why do I love being a duck? The passion. Ducks fans are the best fans in the nation if anyone asks me. Going to the Oregon vs. Arizona men's basketball game today just reaffirmed my belief. After today, the Oregon Ducks have officially lost their last eleven games. They have yet to win any of the PAC-10 games. However, despite this fact, McArthur Court was full of fans for the Arizona game, wearing bright yellow and yelling, "O!"

Duck games have incredible energy. They are loud and obnoxious. They are fun and friendly. They are full of hope and determination. Even when our team was down today by a good margin and the time was running out, the student section continued to jump up and down, initiate chants, sing and clap along to the fight song, and put their spirit fingers up for our free throwers. The students all wore the same, or at least similar t-shirts, bolding declaring in unison who they were for and not being too quiet about who they were not.

There is a strong sense of unity between duck fans. Whenever I am home in California and I see someone wearing an Oregon sweatshirt or see an "O" sticker on the back of a vehicle, I feel as though those people are family. They get me.

A simple "go ducks" goes a long way here in Eugene. It's almost as though it's a synonym for hello. Those two words bring strangers together. I have even heard "go ducks" chants started at concerts and parties that were completely unrelated to the University.

My freshman year, I went to every single football and basketball game I could. Our teams were good that year too. I even took a road trip up to Spokane, Washington for the first two rounds of our team playing in March Madness. This was after camping out for two nights outside of Autzen Stadium to get tickets. I will never forget those experiences that helped initiate me into the culture of Eugene and the University. Those experiences bonded me with friends that I will have forever.

My junior year schedule has been a bit busier than that of my freshman year, so I haven't been able to be as intense about duck sports as I have been know to be in the past. The Arizona game was my return to Mac Court since last season. It felt good to be home. It didn't matter if we won or lost. What mattered was being a part of that incredible energy that only Duck fans can create. I will be a Duck fan until the day I die and even when I can't make it to or watch a game, I will still be rooting for the best teams on earth. Go Ducks!