I Love My Ducks

Peter E.

November 22, 2009 - 10:51 PM

I love my Ducks, and with good reason: a win over Arizona set up the most important Civil War possibly ever. The winner will go to the Rose Bowl. However, not only do I love my Ducks, but a group of students have faced some mixed praise and controversy for a video they made in support of a potential Rose Bowl birth. To watch the video click here.

The group, "Supwitchugirl," used the Duck mascot without the permission of the Athletic Department or Disney in their music video for "I Love My Ducks." Thus, the University acted accordingly by making the students remove the video from YouTube because it was not authorized and may cause trademark problems with Disney (which owns the copyright for the Duck) and the University. Many students were angered by the decision because they believe that it represents Oregon in a positive, fun way. Personally, I think the song is entertaining. With lyrics like, "Is that my boy Masoli? Cooking up the offense like he's cooking ravioli..." They are harmless, humorous lyrics that build camaraderie around a very special year for Duck football. It's tough not to look ahead, but one may draw parallels between the Chicago Bears and the Super Bowl Shuffle in '85 and "I Love My Ducks," which is quickly becoming a similar goofy, uniting anthem of the Ducks' Rose Bowl run. It's frustrating that business and politics have to interfere with a seemingly harmless music video, but such is the business of college athletics and merchandising. At least the video is still viral and available online (even if it's not on YouTube). One way or another, it has a strong presence on campus at the moment, and I would hardly consider it "underground."

Turning from the bleachers to the field though, the Civil War is at the forefront of everyone's mind. A week from Thursday the Ducks will play OSU for a trip to Pasadena on New Years Day. It's going to be mayhem, and I can't wait to see the entire State of Oregon come to a standstill for three hours on December 3rd. I will be one of the lucky few packing Autzen Stadium in what will hopefully be a very memorable evening. Until then, I encourage you to ride the wave of excitement, crank "I Love My Ducks," and smell the roses.