It's official the annual "Civil War" football game between the University of Oregon and Oregon State will be played in 2009 at Autzen stadium on THURSDAY DECEMBER 3rd and will be broadcast on ESPN nationwide.
Previously on this blog I have been very critical of scheduling a game on a Thursday night in December because of weather,lack of game atmosphere, the difficulty of travel on a "school/work" night and the fact many people cannot take time off from work on a Thursday and or a Friday.. (click on the title for a link to my previous post)
Having said all of that, Oregon Athletic Director, Pat Kilkenny had a tough choice in tough economic times. Business and families all over this country are making tough choices because of the recession. Not a day goes by without additional news stories of business closing and or employee layoffs. The Athletic Department, which is self supporting, is not immune to this problem! The additional TV money for this game and the other games, for a total of 5 games, on ABC/ESPN will help the bottom line financially for the Oregon Athletic Department. I don't like it.... but in the end my guess is that Pat Kilkenny had no choice. I just hope that this will become an exception and not the rule for future "Civil War" games.
It will be interested to see if there is a decrease in season ticket sales and if so is that due to the economy or a Thursday night game in December?I will be watching for empty seats.
As a side note and as a bonus Oregon will now have a bye before we play the Beavers. Go Ducks!
