Tinker Hatfield is a former University of Oregon pole vaulter and has an architecture degree from the school.

He has a brilliant reputation as a shoe designer, and is the man behind the Air Jordan basketball shoe. He is currently Nike's vice president for design and special projects.

Hatfield's design for the Hayward Field reconstruction in Eugene was the one first selected. That design sought to keep the iconic look of the stadium as much as possible, and retained the 99-year-old stadium's east grandstand, while updating Hayward Field to the level required to stage the 2021 World Outdoor Championships as scheduled.

For reasons not entirely clear, Hatfield's stadium design was rejected at some point in favor of one unveiled last month. The new design will replace the old stadium with one with a completely different design. It is expected to cost more than $200 million, with the money privately raised and with Phil and Penny Knight the lead donors.

Hatfield said he is willing to make this email public. What follows are his words. I have lightly edited them for clarity.

-- Ken Goe

* * *

If you're gonna spend north of $200 million ... please ... consider this.

For all that moola you get a fancy looking stadium but you get a second-rate

PERFORMANCE venue and a third rate INDOOR training facility.

Another way of putting it is, few if any "American" or "world records" will be set in such a stadium. The design and the decision to build it for such a high price is seemingly based on whether or not (Nike co-founder) Phil Knight and (IAAF president) Sebastian Coe think it's a fitting HIGH STATUS platform for a World Championships.

Although I can understand the international perspective and prestige issues, personally I cannot agree with the "before and after" effects of such a design decision.

Unfortunately, not many people understand "high performance sports," let alone architecture, so it's relatively easy to put a shiny object in their view and get them excited. That is the phenomena we are facing today. The University of Oregon won't say boo because it just recently became the beneficiary of Knight's very generous gift of $500 million for science. The gift will change the University of Oregon forever, in a good way.

The same could be said of this $200 million gift to Hayward Field, except that the change will be a negative one for track and field in the long run. Let me explain.

As I see it, the new GLASS HORSESHOE design is beautiful, even sensual and on TV and in person it will be spectacular.

The big problem is, IT DOES NOT WORK.

The curving glass roof creates a sense of place but is most unfortunately NON FUNCTIONAL. As described in the architectural renderings it will not protect MOST fans from the frequent rain and wind that occurs in Eugene (nearly year around) and certainly there will be no respite from the hot sun which occurs less frequently.

The sum total, however, is poor-to-nonexistent performance year round which, when pondered, is quite an achievement in architectural buffoonery. The big prognostication I'll throw out there is a very grim one. Actual attendance at most track meets will drop. The magic of Hayward Field is really the crowd. Keep 'em dry and they will come. Let 'em get wet and they will NOT come. Please think about this anecdotal observation. I'm warning you by way of this letter that for anything less than the Prefontaine or Olympic trials, the attendance at Hayward Field will sadly diminish.

The 20-foot high stone wall, although nice for a fortress, is not so great for Eugene, unless we are expecting a medieval military attack from Corvallis. The wall, completely severs the community from the track because it's both a physical and metaphorical barrier. Hayward Field is, in part, a unique and desirable venue BECAUSE it's connected to students, visitors and casual passersby on a day in and day out basis. It's a friendly and accessible community asset.

The demolition of the EAST GRANDSTAND is unnecessary and completes the severing, only this time I am referring to the important connections from past to future. Tearing down the EAST GRANDSTAND will eliminate 4,800 perfectly good seats (well, most of them are perfectly good). Those seats will be replaced by 1,200 very nice nice seats indeed, if you like being soaked in the rain or baked in the sun. The 3,600 unhappy people are going to be displaced to the south or west, which is against their historical nature. I'm one of them. I ONLY SIT on the EAST SIDE, because you can watch the pole vault but also see who wins the races, due to a panoramic view of the home stretch.

Former Oregon track coaches Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger both sat on the east side. Once the EAST GRANDSTAND goes down, (city ordained) street setbacks kick in and the number of seats go way down as does the encouraging RUMBLE of the wooden structure when all 4,800 stomp their feet. Many athletes have spoken of the big shot of adrenaline imbued by the enthusiasm and noise from the EAST GRANDSTAND. There are ways to modernize, improve safety and comfort for the EAST SIDE FANS without tearing down the historic structure. I've read the structural report. ANYBODY who says the EAST GRANDSTAND is unsound is being untruthful. I have full access to said report should anyone want to read it.

The BOWERMAN TOWER is a monument to Bill he would surely hate. He'd rather see the money go to improving performance for the athletes. I'm reminded of developers who mow down a forest to build a housing development only to come back in and name the streets after the very trees and wildlife they've destroyed. It's immoral to some.

As for performance design, virtually ANYBODY who has ever competed in a horseshoe shaped stadium can attest to the creation of swirling winds which hinder performance and destroy confidence. I'm simply flabbergasted by the lack of consideration for the most important criteria of a good sports venue.

I sincerely hope that collectively and individually your voices and those of many concerned fans and athletes alike will speak to Phil in this final hour. Please don't let this mistake of epic proportion be the eventual end of the Hayward Field magic.

-- Tinker Hatfield