Squeeze Out The Juice?

Questions have been raised about USC continuing to prominently display O.J. Simpson memorabilia. No matter what some columnists want, these items should not be taken down. It's not simply that we shouldn't erase history. We shouldn't hide from it, either.

At one time, O.J. Simpson did a lot for USC and USC did a lot for O.J. Simpson. As a Trojan, he won the most coveted individual award in sports. He guided the school to a national championship. He was an All American in two sports. Twice. He even held a world record in track and field.

Does that redeem him as a human being?

No.

I did a very unscientific poll and found -- surprise -- a lot of Trojan alums don't like O.J. "the person." From the San Gabriel Valley to the South Bay, his approval rating is hovering right around zero. Alums in their 70s think the guy is off his rocker. Alums in their 20s look at the latest arrests and toss around words like "karma."

But nobody I talked to was ready to tear down the symbols of his accomplishments as if they were an Iraqi statue of Saddam Hussein.

USC's Heritage Hall echoes with history. In addition to being the nerve center for several of the school's sports, it's a museum. It houses trophies, plaques, jerseys, magazine covers, and time lines -- and that's just the stuff with O.J.'s name or number on it.

Keep that in perspective. O.J. Simpson gets no better treatment than any of the school's seven Heisman Trophy winners. He hasn't been seen hanging out on campus or attending games in the Coliseum. The last official contact between O.J. and the school was when he surprised everybody by showing up at practice before the 2003 Orange Bowl. Obviously he hasn't been invited back. You can't blame the school for that. You also can't blame the school for leaving up artifacts that commemorate what he did at USC.

Unless somebody proves The Juice was on the Juice, his records and trophies will stay up. His approval rating, however, will stay down. Just like it should be.

Is this a "have your cake and eat it, too" outlook on O.J.?

Perhaps. But it's a piece of cake that doesn't leave a good taste in anyone's mouth.

More pictures of the "USC O.J. Collection" after the jump ...

When you walk into Heritage Hall, you're greeted by a team of Heisman Trophies. O.J.'s is second from the left.

Plaques honoring All-Americans line the handrails of Heritage Hall.

Many forget that O.J. was a two-sport standout.

A wall-sized decoration includes a large time line that highlights one of O.J.'s biggest games.

A large collection of framed Sports Illustrated covers plaster one wall. At least two feature The Juice. Pardon the glare.

All Heisman Trophy winners have their numbers retired. Click on this photo to see O.J.'s 32 hanging second from the left in the Coliseum.

Comments

[Bobak]

Good post. I agree: nobody in the "Trojan Family" is proud/approves/etc of anything OJ has done these days (I grew up thinking of him only as the guy from the Naked Gun movies), but there's also no real reason to take down his stuff when he is, as you said, receiving no special treatment. Will USC ever allow a "O.J. Simpson Memorial Scholarship" or other honor? Of course not. I think there will be those who would jump on USC for not having his stuff in Heritage Hall --framed in stories as "glaring omissions". I guess they don't have as much to write about in San Bernardino.

[Armadillo by morning (up from San Antone)]

You are known by the company you keep.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Germany has removed the Nazi regalia.
USC-OJ campus is what it is. Enabler.
Guilty: by association.

[LAWYER JOHN]

Remember, he was not convicted of the murder. And the honor is for what he did 40-years ago in 1967, and then in 1968. In another 40-years the notoriety memories will have faded, but the great years of 1967 and 1968 will live on.

[as seen from east of the San Andreas Fault]

Lawyer John, WHAT?
Forty years later, I still remember Abigail Folger and Charles Manson.
I also remember Son of Sam, the Boston Stranger, Richard Speck
and a guy named Dommler. Let's not forget John Wayne Casey
and Orenthal James Simpson. I can hardly wait for the USC-OJ
Women's Health Care Center.
They are who they are.

[nlh]

Oberjuerge (of the SB Sun) is an idiot. No one at USC condones or supports OJ. History is another matter -- we can't rewrite it. Ignoring the fact that Simpson played a huge role in USC's storied football history is pointless and impractical.

Should we take off his plaques in Heritage Hall and just leave gaping holes? Should we leave his Heisman Trophy case empty? Or maybe we just treat him like Voldemort, and replace his name with You-Know-Who on every single award. Perhaps we can stick a giant frowny face on the number 32 on his jersey in the Coliseum, too.

Why don't we worry about more important things like locking this demented, violent ex-athlete up, and less about petty things like plaques and trophies.