USC sports information is reporting that "seating capacity in the Coliseum has been upped from 92,000 to 93,607 with the addition of seats in the lower northeast (Sections 27 and 28) and southeast (Sections 1 and 2) areas of the stadium."
Those would be the sections on either side of the peristyle/sun deck. The additional seating will allow certain groups to be rearranged (e.g. making the student section more contiguous), with the extra capacity going toward season-ticket holders and possibly some limited general admission.
A representative called this "a year of unprecedented demand." All of the football games are sold out, but there's a chance that a limited amount of tickets (for a couple of games) will go on public sale soon.
It's almost four months until the Trojans' next home game, but the grounds crew at the Coliseum is already working hard to ensure that the field is immaculate when USC plays Ohio State on Sept. 13.
The turf is getting a complete overhaul, and it's not as simple as sprinkling some seeds or firing up the lawnmower. Among the steps being taken this week and next:
- 107,000+ square feet of Bermuda grass was removed and transplanted in different parts of Exposition Park.
- All sprinklers are being replaced to ensure consistent irrigation.
- Field drain lines (which run north/south every 5 yards) will be inspected and cleared if necessary.
- Storm drain lines (along the periphery walls) will be inspected and cleared if necessary.
- The field will be rototilled to remove inconsistencies (like compaction) and start with a clean slate.
- A laser-grade will be used to ensure consistency of the field's crown.
- Sod will be laid and rolled. That's a three- or four-day process to ensure it makes proper contact with the field and leaves no gaps.
And you thought your summer lawn maintenance was tough!
Thanks to Justin Simon, who shared these photos of the new mural being installed in the Coliseum.
Read on »
 Traveler is taking up permanent residence inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
A 14-foot-by-14-foot mural is being installed at the edge of the stadium's tunnel and will be visible to most of the crowd during football games. Dubbed "Tradition," the artwork features USC's mascot being ridden back from another championship at the Rose Bowl (symbolized by a bed of roses on the horse's back) and the Roman numerals for 1888 -- the year of USC's first football game.
This is the third large-scale sports mural done by local artist Mike Sullivan. Trojan faithful are sure to remember the Mario Danelo tribute he created last year at San Pedro High School. Posters of that mural can be seen hanging in a number of restaurants and other local venues, and proceeds from their sale have gone to the Mario Danelo Endowed Football Scholarship Fund.
Read on »
The Dodgers held a press conference today for the groundbreaking on Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum modifications. The temporary conversions are being made for an exhibition against the Boston Red Sox on March 29. That should leave plenty of time to return things to normal before USC's first home game against Ohio State on September 13th.
Click here to download the full PDF of the changes.
"KCAL reported that the State of California was looking to sell their
shares of ownership to the [Sports Arena] and Coliseum. From this posting, I
figure that a deal was made and possibly ownership??? Anyone???" -- Char
This question from a post on Tuesday brings up an interesting hitch in the deal struck between USC and the Coliseum Commission.
Although I didn't see the KCAL report, I would guess it referred to casual discussions in Sacramento about selling the Coliseum (and adjacent Sports Arena). One of the most confusing parts of the whole negotiation has stemmed from the fact that the State of California owns the property -- outright. No shares involved.
Technically, the state leases everything to the Coliseum Commission, which has nine voting members. There are three each from the State, County of Los Angeles, and City of Los Angeles.
That's where yesterday's deal might get sticky. According to the school, the agreement ensures that "USC will also have representation on the Coliseum Commission."
Since the Commission was created by a Joint Powers Agreement, it would presumably need approval from the state, county and city before it could modify the body's makeup. That's just one three more hurdles for this agreement to clear. Hopefully it's merely a formality, since all parties involved seem happy with the way things are moving.
For those of you keeping score at home, there have been three "moving targets" involved with the negotiations:
- The lease between the state and the Coliseum Commission.
- The lease between the Coliseum Commission and anybody else (primarily USC).
- The state's option to sell the whole thing off or lease to somebody else.
The limitations of the state-Commission lease are what created some of the initial friction in the Commission-USC lease (USC was asking for a longer term than the Commission had with the state).
The state's option to sell is unlikely at this time, but not impossible because of budget shortfalls in Sacramento. It would require some incredible political maneuvering to make a sale happen.
The state's option to lease to somebody else is effectively closed (it has a new deal with the Commission that lasts for almost 50 more years). However, I'm still shocked that there wasn't any public debate last year about the state leasing directly to USC. Although there would have been some hangups (like who would get custody of the Sports Arena), it would have been a very intriguing option for some of the parties involved.
Two USC alumni went to Rio last week for Carnival and wound up lost in a Brazilian rain forest. They hacked their way through the dense foliage for 26 hours until a rescue crew found them. Local reporters jumped on the story, eager to talk about these young men from the land of movie stars (the most outlandish articles, sadly, are available only in print).
They didn't catch any tropical diseases but maybe the media circus was contagious.
Since their return, bizarre outbreaks have been cropping up all over Troy.
USC and the Coliseum Commission tentatively agreed to keep the Trojans playing on their home field for two, 25 or 47 years. The announcement was complete with the Trojan Marching Band, an appearance by Pete Carroll, and, in the middle of everything, a surprise proposal by a private equity firm to take over the Coliseum for $700 million. If none of that works out, state lawmakers might just offload the property.
Reggie Bush was scheduled to give a deposition on the 25th in response to accusations that he called "cowardice." The case took another strange turn when Lloyd Lake stormed out of his own deposition. Allegedly, somebody accompanying Bush's legal team flashed a gun at him. Lake's attorney told ESPN, "Come on, we're lawyers. I don't threaten people, I sue them."
As ugly as it may get in civil court, things couldn't get much worse for another Trojan on the hard court. Cyberspace is running out of room to list all of Daniel Hackett's injuries. At last count, he's suffering from a fractured spine, partially torn oblique, bruised pelvis and sprained ankle. At least the broken jaw is healed. Another guard -- Marcus Simmons -- is hoping to hobble out against UCLA on his own sprained ankle to help USC's depleted roster.
OK, maybe that last one isn't a media circus -- but it should tell you something when a USC-UCLA rivalry game fades into the background of all this other news. Don't worry, O.J. Mayo is still getting ink.
At least nobody in the Trojan family has their mugshot on TM ... nevermind. Don't tase me JDB's bro!
With so much going on at USC, the Old Gray Lady found it fit to print a feature on a young blond boy. Yup, high school junior Matt Barkley's commitment to USC is even big news in the New York Times.
One of Troy's most popular figures, Will Ferrell, is stepping it into high gear to promote his latest movie. Ferrell appears in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition with Heidi Klum and can be seen on billboards for "Semi-Pro" rocking short-shorts. He spoke with Arash Markazi about his old job in USC's sports information office, where they could probably use an extra hand right about now.
The Trojans may add some more international (or at least multi-lingual) hubbub when the women's soccer team plays the Mexican women's national team next week.
If the Trojans were playing Brazil, maybe the circus could come full circle.
There will be a news conference at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Coliseum.
The list of attendees includes:
- USC representatives
- Elected officials
- Representatives from the State of California
- Representatives from the County of Los Angeles
- Representatives from the City of Los Angeles
- Coliseum Commission members
- USC Trojan Marching Band members
The flags of the Pac-10 institutions will also be flown.
What ever could this mean?
It's safe to say that the band isn't going to be called upon to celebrate another counter proposal. Looks as if the Trojans will be back in the Coliseum this fall.
The final buzzer sounded on the Trojan's basketball game against UC Riverside Saturday night and it was over -- not just the game, but just the entire Fall sports schedule.
Spring will start quickly (using the new year as a line in the sand) with the Rose Bowl and some hoops games, so this is a logical time for top ten lists. While considering the top ten USC sports stories of Fall 2007, it was obvious that certain words kept coming up.
To give things a new twist, here are the top ten words of the Fall. These aren't here because they are the "best," but they are the most significant, dominating both headlines and public discourse.
- Injury. They happen all the time in sports and nobody is immune, but this semester had an inordinate number of setbacks for Trojan athletes. Men's basketball got thumped by Mercer without Davon Jefferson (knee) and Daniel Hackett (jaw), and still hadn't completely gelled by the time the faced their first real challenges. Women's hoops lost two of their top players before the season even began. The soccer team's defense was thinned out. Cross country couldn't field their lone NCAA championship competitor due to illness. Volleyball learned to adjust for awhile without Diana Copenhagen. What's missing? Oh yeah -- football. Early in the season, somebody inside Heritage Hall said the mounting injuries weren't unusual. A couple weeks later, newspapers were dedicating a mind-numbing number of column inches to injury reports. A healthy John David Booty or fewer chinks in the offensive line, and the Trojans might only be practicing on New Years Day.
- Streak. While a couple big ones ended (top-10 rankings and home victories), the football program maintained their most sacred one: Pac-10 crowns. As Pete Carroll's pre-season goal, winning the league (or a share of it) for six straight years has also resulted in six straight BCS appearances.
Read on »
The Coliseum Commission has reached a deal, just not the one USC fans are eagerly awaiting.
Governor Schwarzenegger's office announced today that Monday's negotiation between the California Science Center Board (which technically owns the Coliseum and is appointed by the Governor) and the Coliseum Commission produced an agreement that should become official on January 9th after their respective boards approve it. The two parties were essentially operating under an expired agreement that allowed the Commission to pay a small fraction of their rent.
Based on the Governor's press release, it the Commission's basic costs to lease the facility will jump from $80,000 to $1,000,000 per year, but that's still far below recent assessments that had valued the property's rent at $2,000,000.
The lease term of 47 years coincides with the life of the Commission's Joint Powers Agreement. After that time, the Commission's existence would be contingent on a new lease. USC, which essentially sub-leases from the Commission, has asked for a deal that would last as long as 75 years, but the Commission obviously can't sign anything longer than 47 years.
Had this arrangement been in place last year, the Commission would have turned over most of their $1.46 million profit. Keep in mind that any money that the Commission makes gets pumped back into the facility and is not disbursed to any of the participating agencies, Commissioners, employees, etc. This is money that likely would have been put towards additional repairs or saved for deferred maintenance.
Since the State owns the Coliseum, they're essentially collecting their money immediately instead of letting it get re-invested in their property (and held temporarily in a City fund).
While this deal seems straightforward and extremely fair to the Commission (who wouldn't want to get half-off on their rent?), it may push them further into a corner in their negotiations with USC. The major sticking-point in that deal is renovations, and the Commission's cash flow is about to take a significant hit. If they can't afford to make the repairs (after subtracting liabilities, they only have $3.1 in assets), USC is demanding a master lease and will do the repairs themselves.
The Commission is proud of their independence and lack of outside funding, but this makes me wonder if they might have an argument for using State taxpayer dollars for any major upgrades since it would be an investment in the State's facility, not their own. On the other hand, most upgrades will involve technology (jumbotron) or high-traffic areas (bathrooms) and will significantly depreciate by the time the new deal expires.
Photo by Karen Tapia-Andersen / LAT
The Coliseum Commission sent a letter to USC today indicating that while they weren't happy with all the terms USC had proposed, progress was being made.
The Commission also stated they would send USC a new counter-proposal soon.
Click here to download the Coliseum Commission's letter (PDF).
 EVK's cafeteria can't hold over 90,000.
Doheney Library doesn't draw millions of TV viewers.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum? It's been doing both of those things for decades.
No one place is a greater part of the shared USC experience than this majestic facility. Chris Epting has compiled a photo-book consisting of a couple hundred Coliseum images that can take your breath away. It's part of the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing.
Remember that this is not just about USC. You'll see Olympic images, baseball configurations, Pete Rozelle handing Pete Lombardi the first Super Bowl trophy (another photo from that days shows partially empty stands!), and even an artificial ski-jump ramp coming out of the peristyle. Lots of famous faces are included.
Of course, there are a bunch of USC pictures inside the 128 pages.
Epting has additional features on his website, including more photos and a 360°view from mid-field. There's also a short video that poses a random question -- who is Dr. John Paul Ryan? Apparently there's a plaque honoring him in tunnel 19, but Epting's research didn't turn up a reason why. The plaque references halftime of the Cal game in 1996.
This gift is good for: Angelinos. Sports fans. Architecture aficionados. Nostalgics. People who appreciate black and white photography.
This gift is bad for: Somebody looking for reading material or a detailed written account of the facility's history.
Price: $19.99.
Where to find it: Major booksellers, including
online retailers like Amazon, or direct from Arcadia Publishing.
The Coliseum Commission came out of a closed-door meeting this evening and announced that they will extend a new offer to USC within the next 24 hours.
Coliseum General Manager Pat Lynch wouldn't elaborate on any details, but did indicate that the offer was "long term."
Members of the Commission were all smiles as they walked out, but had nothing else substantive to say. Lynch hurried off, presumably to prepare the formal offer to USC.
In an unrelated story, USC shifted the dates of two games next season. An away game at Oregon State will be played on Thursday, September 25 instead of September 27. A home game against Oregon will be played on October 4 instead of November 22. That means USC now has two home games scheduled on the same days as UCLA home games ... making it that much more difficult for the Trojans to play in the Rose Bowl next year.
[Do you] think USC would actually move to the Rose Bowl? -- Scott
I doubt it, especially after seeing one of the ploys the school used last week. Remember that this is just about dividing up money and power. Regardless of who "wins" on that end, everybody will lose if USC winds up in Pasadena. The school, Coliseum Commission, local community, Rose Bowl, and even UCLA are united behind keeping the Trojans in Exposition Park.
What ploy caught my attention? After the Coliseum Commission meeting, a USC representative promised to sign an offer from the Rose Bowl as soon as it was on the table -- potentially the following day.
But the next day, a different USC representative acknowledged that they were aware the offer needed UCLA's approval. Translation: "This isn't possible for another few weeks."
Suddenly the threat wasn't as serious. But in the few hours the elapsed between those statements, USC forced the Coliseum Commission to begin negotiating from a weakened position. Talk about shrewd tactics!
Even if this backfires, USC would only be gone for a year. UCLA won't agree to more than that (they have the right of first refusal at the Rose Bowl), and USC can't find anywhere else that seats 90,000+. After one season, USC will have made its point and the parties will have figured out how to return the Trojans to the Coliseum.
Any word on why the Coliseum lights went out so early after the UCLA game? The band was still playing and I was just outside (only 20 minutes after the end of the game) when half the lights were turned off. -- Bobak
No conspiracy theory necessary. When the lights go down in the city ... it's frequently a car hitting a transformer. We're not sure if that's exactly what happened in this case, but a representative for the Coliseum confirmed that the lights went off early due to a local power outage. It started somewhere well outside the perimeter of the stadium and affected a lot of Exposition Park and the surrounding neighborhood. The Coliseum's sign off the 110 Freeway went down, too.
Some lights were powered by backup generators, so there was ample lumination for people leaving the area. Though stadium officials haven't dealt with a situation like that mid-game, presumably they could get backup power turned on fast enough to finish playing. If not, maybe that's one of the renovations that should be done.
Which Hollywood starlet reportedly slept with the entire USC football team? -- David
This seems like a Matt Leinart joke in reverse. Anyway, Kenneth Anger's "Hollywood Babylon" reportedly said Clara Bow was the Trojans' biggest, um, fan back in the 1920s. Snopes says it's not true. I'm inclined to believe the latter.
Plenty more after the jump, including Reggie Bush and the NCAA Death Penalty, Mark Sanchez vs. Mitch Mustain, the Sears Cup and Lexus Gauntlet, and Hershel Dennis and Championship Streaks ...
Read on »
 This was written as a "live blog" post, meaning it was updated periodically as the story unfolded. If you read it prior to 9 p.m., there have probably been some changes since. A detailed story from Gary Klein will be on latimes.com later tonight.
The Rose Bowl Operating Company announced that it has nothing to announce. The implications spoke louder than the words.
The RBOC's board held extended private negotiation with representatives from USC over the possibility of the team moving into the stadium with a short-term lease. In a unanimous decision, the board decided to hold off on agreeing to any formal arrangement with the Trojans.
The announcement was made in a brief public session before a room slightly less packed than yesterday's Coliseum Commission meeting.
In particular, the RBOC cited concerns over the need for UCLA, the Rose Bowl's primary college football tenant, to weigh in on all details of a possible contract.
President Bill Thomson, speaking on behalf of the board, added, "We're going to allow USC and the Coliseum time to continue their talks."
When asked, he denied that they had been in touch with the Coliseum Commission, joking, "I don't think the Coliseum Commission talks to too many people."
He didn't think anything more would develop on his board's end before the beginning of the year, but took another good-natured swipe at the Coliseum Commission by pointing out that the RBOC can move quickly because it only has to deal with one government agency -- the city of Pasadena.
As negotiating ploys go, this one hasn't blown up in USC's face, but university officials aren't going to be able to leverage their "second home" as well as they might have hoped. In this game of "Oh yeah? Look what I could do!" there's one less immediate option, and a USC representative admitted the university didn't have anywhere else in mind that could hold 90,000+ fans.
USC Associate Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Asset Management Kristina Raspe (yes, that fits on her business card) tried to spin things in a positive light. Even though the RBOC didn't seem enthusiastic, she insisted that the board was interested in welcoming USC to the Rose Bowl contingent upon UCLA's approval. She added that no formal agreement was expected walking into the meeting because it was known that a final document would have to be submitted to UCLA first.
USC negotiator Todd Dickey, who was not present at the meeting, said yesterday that the school would sign with the Rose Bowl as soon as an agreement was on the table. But everybody involved in this process (USC, UCLA, RBOC, and the Coliseum Commission) seems eager to have the Trojans remain in their traditional home.
If the ink dries on a Rose Bowl contract, don't be shocked if USC finds a way out when the Coliseum becomes an option again. "I think with all contracts you can certainly pay a price to get out, and this one would not be unique in that regard," acknowledged Raspe, "but I couldn't comment on the price"
She did make it clear that breaking such a contract "would be expensive for us."
Update: KLAC (570AM) has full audio of the RBOC's press conference and Kristina Raspe's subsequent press gaggle.
The Coliseum Commission met this afternoon to discuss a number of issues, but it wasn't bronze plaques and HD jumbotrons that caused a capacity-crowd to spill into the lobby and side rooms.
The commission addressed concerns over the future lease agreement with USC and stated its case. It seemed to express surprise over USC's threats to move to Pasadena, and made it clear that another 2-year offer was on the table. Afterward, City Council President Bernard Parks also made it clear he wasn't happy with the idea of handing control of a public building over to a private institution.
Representatives from the university responded, both in session and afterward, that the commission hadn't adequately addressed their offers and concerns, and was still hanging onto unrealistic dreams of an NFL franchise. USC even threatened to sign a lease agreement with the Rose Bowl as soon as the controlling interests in Pasadena agree -- potentially after a meeting tomorrow afternoon.
One of the primary sticking points with the Coliseum appears to be the ongoing lease negotiation between the commission and the state of California.
As earlier reported on this blog, the Coliseum is a public building, but it turns out the lease and sublease hierarchy looks a little more like this:
People -> State of California -> Coliseum Commission -> Temporary Tenants
The Coliseum Commission is controlled in equal parts by the state, county and city.
Temporary tenants can include USC football, soccer games, concerts and 5K races.
The commission addressed concerns over threats made to employees, and all parties involved made it clear such behavior was inappropriate.
All parties also agreed that they wanted USC to continue playing in the Coliseum.
Ultimately, this is just a struggle over who gets the most money and influence. Even if USC signs with the Rose Bowl tomorrow, don't be surprised if it backs out as soon as a new deal is reached with the Coliseum.
 Bad: Bruin Bear displayed prominently on campus.
Good: Bear burned on giant pyre. Video coming.
Bad: Pep rally scheduled during basketball game.
Good: Dispatching Oklahoma, 66-55, with Davon Jefferson getting 23 points and O.J. Mayo taking over the game in the closing minutes as if to say to the Sooners, "My game. Not yours."
Bad: Death threats to members of the Coliseum Commission. Are you kidding me? Not cool! Bad fans! No! That's no way to treat your employees. Do that again and you're spending a long timeout in Pasadena.
Good: Writing a polite and considered response to the people entrusted with running the Coliseum. Ultimately, they work for you and will listen when you ask nicely. Remember, happy employees are productive employees.
 The revolution will not be fed.
The executive leadership of USC's student government (both undergraduate and graduate) is spearheading a boycott of concessions at this week's USC-UCLA game to take a bite out of profits. According to the organization, 100% of concession sales benefit the Coliseum.
That could send a message, and give the Coliseum Commission a taste of what it would be like without the Trojans.
The move is in response to stalled negotiations between the University and the Coliseum over a long-term lease. USC is threatening to move its games to the Rose Bowl.
The Coliseum is a public facility and, as such, is owned by the people (i.e., you). If you want to voice your concern to the people responsible for managing the facility on your behalf, USC has set up a website.
Visiting Bruin fans not inclined to share their home stadium in Pasadena are encouraged to participate in the boycott. Word is being spread via online networking sites, e-mail and public announcements (potentially at upcoming rallies and other sporting events before the football game).
Remember that bacon-wrapped hot dogs sold outside the stadium are still kosher safe ... let's just say that's not crossing the picket line.
Sadly, Daniel Hackett may go an entire year without eating solid food at the Coliseum.
The Los Angles Memorial Coliseum is owned by the Coliseum Commission. The Coliseum Commission is "owned" by an equal partnership of the city of Los Angeles, the county of Los Angeles and the state of California. All three of those entities are owned by the public.
So you own the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The commission was created in 1945 and has nine representatives. Each jurisdiction has three representatives and one alternate. The county's are appointed by the chair of the County Board of Supervisors. At the state level, the governor appoints the members of the California Science Center Board, who select three from among themselves. For the city, the president of the L.A. City Council selects one rep and the mayor picks two on behalf of the city Parks and Recreation Commission.
The commission's presidency is rotated among the three jurisdictions.
Commissioners are technically appointed on an annual basis, though members typically serve for several years. The length of term frequently depends on a commissioner's other obligations. For example, if a commissioner is also on the Board of Supervisors and he or she leaves that office, the member would also leave the commission.
Supervisor Mike Antonovich, currently an alternate, first served on the commission in 1981. Supervisor Yvonne Burke is the longest-serving full commissioner. She joined in 1993.
Thanks to James for pointing out this open letter from Mike Garrett: Unfortunately, talks are at an impasse, and right now we have no lease for the Coliseum next year. As a precaution, USC has negotiated a lease with the Rose Bowl to ensure that we have an acceptable stadium in which to play our home football games for the foreseeable future.
But this arrangement is not what we want. We want our football program to remain at the Coliseum. And we want the Coliseum Commission – our “landlords” who manage the stadium – to begin the long overdue rehabilitation of the Coliseum.
You can read the full thing here, with more information about USC's demands. Obviously USC officials are playing hardball with this Rose Bowl move, and the timing makes sense now that the NFL is out of the picture.
If you want to contact your local officials, USC has provided more information here.
Remember that the Coliseum is actually owned by YOU -- the people. These contacts listed by USC are from agencies supposed to act on your behalf, so let them know what you think.
When I was growing up, I used to keep all my ticket stubs in a jar (later a shoe box, eventually just a messy pile). I used to be able to count how many times I'd been to different venues.
That ended with the Coliseum.
I've lost track of the number of chilly nights and sweltering days I've spent with the Old Lady.
I've cheered, I've jeered, and I've spilled my beer (back when it was allowed). I've even run the steps. Oof.
As a loyal patron of the Peristyle, it's unconscionable to me that the Trojans may play their home games in the Rose Bowl.
You read that right. Weeks after the NFL made it clear it had shut the door on the future of a pro franchise moving in, negotiations for a stable future with USC have taken a turn for the worse. The Trojans are threatening a move to Pasadena.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a shrine to sport. A national historic landmark, it has hosted two Olympics, two Super Bowls, the Pro Bowl, the World Series, and the MLB All-Star game. It's been home to three pro football teams, two college football teams, and a pro baseball team (the Dodgers are even coming back for an exhibition game in a few months). Countless international soccer matches have been played in its massive bowl. Watching an event there can be a religious experience -- literally. Pope John Paul II led his first papal Mass under the Coliseum's Olympic torch, and Billy Graham once attracted a record crowd of 134,254.
As much as the Coliseum represents the joy of these great moments, it also represents the pain.
USC fans just thinking back to the recent Stanford loss don't quite have the right perspective.
Last weekend I watched USC's women's soccer team play Florida in the third round of the NCAA tournament under the Coliseum's lights. Yes, women's soccer. Yes, it was pretty empty. But as a hard shot clanked off the crossbar, the echo reverberated sharply and sent chills up my spine. The ghosts of the Coliseum were watching.
An hour later the final seconds ticked off the clock. A bitter battle ended. USC won, 1-0. A handful of players collapsed to the ground and didn't get up for several minutes, shrugging away any who dared approach. All were from Florida. All were seniors. All were done with their soccer careers.
Time stood still as they communed with the ghosts. Their careers may have been over, but for as long as they lay on the grass they were part of something timeless -- something much larger than any one player or team. Some sports fans might dismiss the moment. A silly girls' sport. A game few watched. Players few fans would remember. But in the Coliseum, such thoughts would be sacreligious.
The Olympic flame stood guard above the players as they became one with all who had played before and all who would play again. Gold medals, Heisman Trophies, and national championships had all been earned on that grass -- alongside plenty of defeats and blunders. Those women were now a part of that history.
It was a stirring moment, but that's all it was -- a moment.
Think of all the great moments in the Coliseum, especially under the national and international spotlight. She deserves better than an occasional concert or 5K race finishing down her famed tunnel, because we -- as fans -- deserve better. Sport is like religion, and we must revere such hallowed ground so that it may provide us opportunity to join together again ... to feel joy ... to feel pain ... to feel.
Maybe this filthy, dirty Rose Bowl mistress is just being used as a negotiating ploy. But if USC does leave the Coliseum, all sides involved should be ashamed. Le's be clear: ALL sides. I don't think it's likely that the Trojans will relocate, but I don't even like the idea of it.
The Coliseum is proud and rich in history. It should have a program like USC, likewise proud and rich in history. It should never be abandoned.
The ghosts don't like to play alone.
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