Just because you’re embroiled in a chaotic bout of conference realignment that could change college sports forever doesn’t mean you can’t get 18 holes in on a Friday afternoon.
With the University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees meeting to vote on the Ducks’ athletics future — specifically, whether the program would leave the Pac-12 alongside Washington to join the Big Ten — the stakes were pretty high.
But not so high, apparently, that Board of Trustees chair Steve Holwerda could be bothered to stay in the office.
Holwerda logged on to the crucial virtual call, which ultimately ended with Oregon officially deciding to join the Big Ten (as did Washington), from the bunker of a golf course.
I’m not joking.
Peak Realignment.
(This is Oregon's board chair.) pic.twitter.com/9oXLtyuzmY
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) August 4, 2023
The chair of the BOT at Oregon is taking a Zoom call to decide the fate of his school and effectively end the existence of a conference while hacking out of the green-side sand on 6. Become even more ridiculous, college football. I dare you.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) August 4, 2023
This is the face of a man who has his priorities in order.
This is how the Oregon Board of Trustees meeting was called to order: pic.twitter.com/i0BpLKuEmz
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 4, 2023
While Holwerda working on his short game didn’t seem to keep the board from reaching a swift decision, it’s hard to ignore the level of seriousness (or lack thereof) with which a key player would treat a decision that could prove to be a death blow for the remaining programs in the league.
With Oregon and Washington officially heading to the Big Ten, the Pac-12 is now the Pac-7. Only Oregon State, Washington State, California, Stanford and, for now, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah remain.
The latter three have all applied for Big 12 membership, and their decisions to leave could be finalized as soon as Friday night as we continue to witness what appears to be the breakup of a power conference that has existed in some form since 1915.
