Ducks Digest

Why the Big Ten Map Commercial Matters with the Newly Added Oregon Ducks

Breaking down the infamous Big Ten Conference map commercial and why the addition of the four West Coast schools, including University of Oregon, feels oh so sweet!

Ally Osborne

Mar 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The Oregon Ducks mascot gestures during the game against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The Oregon Ducks mascot gestures during the game against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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Like the sprawling map of Westeros that delicately unveils each kingdown at the beginning of Game of Thrones, the Big Ten Conference map commercial feels like the preamble to an electric display of athletics. Iconography of each college, assembled in a digitally rendered map that ends with a massive logo of the conference. The commercial itself is a meme in its own right and its prevalence in college football culture hardens each year like cement.

That’s why fans of the four new West Coast teams added to the Big Ten - Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC - rejoiced when the 2024 rendition of the Big Ten Map was released on social media by the conference, including the four new additions.

Instead of originally starting out with the Rose Bowl Stadium and then Nebraska and Iowa, the new commercial begins with Washington and then Oregon. Oregon fans will notice that the animators of the commercial included Mt. Hood, Autzen Stadium, the new Knight Campus complete with the bridge across Franklin Boulevard, a looped track with runners, the Oregon “O”, and of course, the Oregon Duck mascot jumping out of that “O”.

It’s also interesting to note that the Oregon Duck is one of very few mascots showcased in this commercial. USC’s live-action Trojan and Minnesota’s Goldy Gopher are the only two official mascot costumes showcased besides the Duck in this map commercial.

So why is this map commercial so ingrained in Big Ten culture? Why is it a meme? 

According to reporting by The Michigan Daily earlier this year, the Big Ten map commercial is indicative of conference additions. The ad originally debuted in 2014 to announce Maryland and Rutgers joining the conference. Chicago-based ad agency TeamWorks created the idea for the commercial with Vitamin Pictures animating. It’s unclear if this same duo created the 2024 commercial, but the animation looks almost identical.

2014-24

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Then there’s the song, “Silver Linings” by Guard, which many fans on social media are excited about its inclusion with the new rendition of the map commercial. The lyrics turned into an ode to Big Ten football.

“I wanna live forever on a boat out in the sea. I wanna build a happy home, a home for you and me. I wanna touch the silver lining we'll be shining everywhere. I wanna live forever I don't care,” the lyrics declare as each college appears.

And even the conference itself knows fans are eager for this new map depiction.

“We know you’ve been waiting for this one,” the Big Ten’s “X” post about the ad said.

Just looking at Oregon fan’s reactions on social media, it’s apparent that this commercial release solidified the Ducks’ inclusion into the Big Ten. And after almost a decade of running the same iconic map commercial, it’s good to see the ad stay practically the same but with new West Coast additions.

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Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A born and raised Oregonian, Ally was raised going up and down the steps of Autzen Stadium. Ally graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021. She currently works at KOIN 6 and Portland's CW in Portland, Oregon where she hosts the lifestyle program "Everyday Northwest" and reports for the KOIN Sports team. She's also a graphic designer in her free time, with several of her works created for Oregon athletes.

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