How Nike's Visual Tricks Made Oregon Look Fast

How Nike's Visual Tricks Made Oregon Look Fast:

Ah ha, so at least there was some strategic thinking behind Oregon's brightly colored socks in last night's game:

'Oregon is one of the fastest teams in the nation, and we wanted them to look fast,' Todd Van Horn, Nike's top football uniform designer, tells us…. Visually, the colorway of the uniforms is meant to bring your eyes to the fastest moving parts of the player's bodies — the hands, and in particular the shins, which move twice as fast as the thighs do while running. The bright yellow socks, which blended seamlessly into the cleats, drew attention to that fact.

Despite the visual trickery, Oregon lost 19-22 to Auburn in an excellent match that was decided only in the final seconds. Congrats to both teams — and to all of college football — for an exciting 2010 season. (And say what you will about the socks, but I thought Oregon's helmets looked fantastic.)