UO E-clips, Aug. 21

UO breaks ground on baseball stadium (Daily Journal of Commerce): Lease Crutcher Lewis broke ground last week on a new ballpark for the University of Oregon. Major construction on the $15-$18 million facility will begin in two weeks. The park will be named for UO’s athletic director, Pat Kilkenny, who has provided $4 million to help cover construction costs. The university has raised a total of $11 million from private donors and the university’s partnership with IMG for the operations of the program and the construction of PK Park.

1. Nike sees basketball as bright spot at Olympics (Associated Press, appearing in France's International Herald Tribune): After some disappointments among Nike's prospects, the company is looking to men's basketball for one of those big medal moments companies crave from the Olympics. "I think the folks at Nike do want to come out of the games with a big win...they have the luxury of multiple opportunities for that," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. "Not that they aren't winning medals all over the place," Swangard said. "But those big iconic victories that transcend the games - that just hasn't happened yet."