Try as we all might to avoid it, it’s bound to happen every year. April 1 will always claim a few victims and the Oregon Ducks presented a pretty solid setup on Friday.
Autzen Stadium to be home of world's first LED football field #GoDucks https://t.co/aQ9P02D1i7 pic.twitter.com/EdgV2zgiBo
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) April 1, 2016
It started innocently enough with a tweet to a story on Oregon’s athletics website to a story about how the school is converting its football field to be the first LED football field in the nation. Sounds awesome, and given Oregon’s track record it almost felt believable.
That is, of course, until you realize it is April Fool’s Day and this was nothing more than a fun little prank pulled by the Oregon staff. Not everybody saw past the joke though, including Chicago Cubs outfielder Shane Victorino.
WOW…always setting the standard
Can't wait to watch some @WinTheDay!!! #GoDucks https://t.co/Qqj0Qhjj5k — Shane Victorino (@ShaneVictorino) April 1, 2016
Ahh, poor Victorino. The Flyin’ Hawaiian got caught falling for it. Odds are pretty good that Victorino managed to have a good laugh at his own expense once he realized what was going on.
But while we are on the topic, while Oregon may have been having a little fun, LED playing surfaces may not be completely far off. The technology to embed lighting into the playing surface in sports fields is coming down the pipeline and it will one day be fascinating to see actual first-down lines on a football field. It’s going to happen. When it does come to be reality, nobody should blame Victorino for thinking twice before laughing.
[FTW]