FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Where Did 50,000 Season-Ticket Limit Go?

I was doing some research on USC’s 1972 season and came across this item in the media guide: “Every season, USC has to cut its season ticket sales off at about 50,000 and with the schedules the Trojans have lined up for this and future years there is no reason to see any change.”

Only 50,000 season tickets?

That isn’t a problem in the Clay Helton Era.

USC might have 150 more support staff working than 50 years ago, but it isn’t generating 50,000 season-tickets being sold each season. Or 40,000. Or . . .

Now comparing USC in 2021 to 1972 is not fair because that was perhaps the greatest team in college football history.

But even the second part of the statement referring to the quality of schedules can’t be made today.

Look at this future opponents:

2021: San Jose State, Notre Dame, BYU

2022: Rice, Fresno State, Notre Dame

2023: Nevada, Notre Dame, BYU

2024: San Jose State, Notre Dame

2025: Mississippi, Notre Dame

2026: Fresno State, Mississippi, Notre Dame

Do any of those non-conference schedules motivate you to buy season tickets?

How about this?

1973: Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Notre Dame

1974: Arkansas, Pitt, Iowa, Notre Dame

Times have changed.

38 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Where Did 50,000 Season-Ticket Limit Go?”

  1. 50 k season tickets meant only 30k one game available tickets. At that time there was an affordability in buying season tickets. The package allowed you buy all of the games before you saw the team on the field, and the only assurance you had was the team would have 11 players on the field.
    Now to buy my family of four a one game ticket costs more than I paid for four season ticket packages when I first started buying them. And the only assurance I have is the team will wear matching outfits? No wait 11 men on the field? No wait I think I got it … the crowd will boo the home team off the field at half time. I doubt I’ll pay $260 a seat to watch a subpar effort. I’ll stay home where the phone reception will allow my family to call paramedics when Helton bumbles yet another fourth and goal from the one yard line, because it’s too hard to teach a quarterback sneak, and my heart explodes.

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    1. How many games that weren’t sold out got televised in the 70’s? None that weren’t bowl games and even some of them. Think that made a difference too?

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      3. My friend PUDLY there’s a Huge flaw in making your comments. ESPN started in 1979. The explosions in college sports as far as seeing out of state games & home team events did not start really until 1984 as the major networks especially ABC dictated who would see what game. ESPN’s rise had everything to do with televising Big East Basketball at the start to prove that they were a viable network. I’m lucky that my father had season tickets in the 70’s. Anthony Davis & the 72 Trojans were my first year as I was 6 years old. I’m still convinced that Ricky Bell was the greatest running back in my lifetime as the current regime has forgotten about our history. I’m predicting now that M.Stepp will make us regret not running the football.

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      4. The rise of espn has nothing to do with my point. Home games (pro or collegiate) weren’t televised unless declared sellouts… and I was at school for those games and had season tickets myself✌️.

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    1. Half of your wish comes true, karma. You can watch….but they’re probably not gonna pay you….
      #AlthoughWithCarolInChargeYouNeverKnow….
      #”I’veDecidedToSplitUpMyReliefCheckWithColiseumFans..
      #…..IfTheySwearToWalkThePathOfRighteousness”

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  3. The BCS incentives teams to play weak non-conference schedules. Texas has Univ. of Louisiana and Rice. Oklahoma has Tulane and Western Carolina. Oregon plays the Stony Brook “Seahawks” and Fresno State. Everybody does it. Would be great to go back in the day where the best played the best, but the loser of such a game takes a big risk in not making the playoffs.

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    2. True, and schedules are made so far in advance that BYU could be good like last year and suck 2 years from now.

      USC shouldn’t schedule tough teams because when they do, they get slaughtered.

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      1. Presently, we have one (fixable) built-in problem w/ our scheduling practices, karma —if we are OBLIGED to play weak Pac 12 South opponents and CHOOSE to schedule ALL cupcakes for non conference games…..we go to a major bowl…..
        #…WhereWeGetExposed….
        #[Until—Here’sTheSolution(!)—WeChangeCoaches]

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    1. I’d say 2020 was an anomaly, BYU had so many cupcakes on their schedule it made them diabetic and SJSU got bombed by mighty Ball State in their bowl game

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      1. Not fair! Mighty San Jose had an off day —I bet if they played Ball State 5 times in a row, two or three games would have been competitive…..

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      2. Notre Dame was also bombed in their last reg. season game vs Clemson 34-10, and 31-14 in 1st the Rd CF Playoff game to Alabama.

        No way SUCC competes with ND without heavy artillery and Air support.

        BTW Clownster’s, BYU lost to Coastal Carolina (recently scheduled by UCLA) 22-17, during the 2020 season.

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      5. There is a rumor that UCLA still plays football.

        If this was English soccer, they would have been relegated to Division IV, playing teams like Pucklechurch, Upton Snodsbury and Barton in the Beans.

        Their new name is the Powderpuff Blues.

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      1. I don’t know about you …but I’d feel better about our chances if I hadn’t seen a certain person’s initials so close to ours…..

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      2. I remember reading that Obama claimed he was a gym rat, that he played a lot of hoops. My college roommate’s younger brother played at Columbia, he was there all 4 years when Obama was there, and he said he never saw Obama in any pickup game at the Columbia gym.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. As we played so late at night, it was either watch pac12 BB or see to his loving spouse’s whims and fancies… guess he chose the round ball.

        Liked by 2 people

  6. The future is now. Just win baby or no USC season tickets. USC football is now like UCLA basketball trying to live off a past history of success, and sticking it to their loyal fans. Your paying a coach millions of dollars to win not drive golf carts around the USC campus, and thanking the lord for every free paycheck he receives.
    It’s time to rebel to force a change, and the only way to get the change we want is to stop supporting the program and the university until the change is made. We must choke the university until the money dries up which will force out the high salaried employees including the President, Athletic Director, and Head Football Coach.
    USC has let their entire fan base down. Please don’t renew your season tickets if you want changes to be made it is that simple. Save your money and if you do the new era of USC football can happen.

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    2. Haven’t seen anyone in financial affairs even give a flinch at such suggestions. Didn’t they just announce a scholarship making tuition free for anyone whose parents make less than $80K? They’re still hiring staff and haven’t cut coaching salaries like most schools, a point that drives scottie crazier than owns seeing a car pull into the car wash at sunset.

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      1. Pudly can be the meanest Trojan on earth to our bruin friends. You’ll be reading along…. all is peaceful…..then….Wham!

        Liked by 2 people

  7. A little history from SI. So even in their selection of a nickname, they were getting pushed around by likes of U of Montana and Cal. Their nickame was bequeated by Cal.

    “Given that UCLA is the Los Angeles branch of the University of California system, and the bear is on the California state flag, it made sense for UCLA to adopt an ursine mascot. Initially, UCLA teams were known as the “Cubs,” while the University of California at Berkeley went by the “Bears,” and later the “Golden Bears.” But students at UCLA resented the little brother status and rejected the Cubs nickname in favor of the fiercer “Grizzlies” nickname.

    The Grizzlies moniker lasted just two years. In 1926, UCLA joined the old Pacific Coast Conference, which already had some Grizzlies in the mix — namely, the University of Montana. UCLA agreed to give up the Grizzlies nickname, and Cal bequeathed UCLA one of the variations on their Bear nickname: “Bruins.”

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    1. Heard almost identical story — only the one I heard didn’t mention “grizzlies’—- it had a donkey and a bruin co-ed in it…
      #..ButItEndedTheSameWay:”TheBruins”

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  8. Why doesnt USC cancel some of those games and add games against Texas and Michigan and a Florida team and an SEC team, or even a team like Boston College, etc.

    The out of conference teams on our schedule in 2021 were pretty good teams last year, BUT they are not the biggest media markets and wont attract alot of attention.

    I guess that Bohn/Sosna dont have confidence that we can beat good teams under Helton. They are making positive changes to the program, but it is so infuriatingly slow.

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    1. Bohn doesn’t “lack confidence” about what would happen if Helton faced Texas, Florida and an SEC team….
      #He’sFilledWith”Confidence”AboutWhatWouldHappen….

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