FOOTBALL

USC Notes: Do You Like Your Seats?

USC will definitely have more fans this season but I’m wondering how many of them are satisfied with their seats?

I’m not talking about the location of their seats. I’m talking about the size of the seats. They are smaller than the old seats before the Coliseum renovation and I don’t find them to be comfortable.

I first saw seats like these in European soccer stadiums and never anticipated they would make their way to the Coliseum. They must be cheaper.

What happens when you combine the smaller seats with more people this season?

I suspect it won’t matter. USC fans are pretty tolerant overall. They dealt with Clay Helton and dealt with having their seats moved or eliminated during the renovation.

But it’s definitely not a superior game-day experience in 2022.

  • USC does not practice today after going the first four days of training camp.
  • Cornerback Latrell McCutchin and safety Jaylin Smith did not dress for Monday night’s practice because of “bumps and bruises” per Lincoln Riley.

You might remember McCutchin did not get a helmet decal during spring practice.

66 thoughts on “USC Notes: Do You Like Your Seats?”

  1. Clearly Scottie doesn’t remember being in old ND stadium or the Big House in Ann Arbor where the bench seats have a seat number painted on every 17.5″

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. YOU ARE SO RIGHT MG
        I SPENT TWO MINUTES FIXING TYPO ERRORS TOO BEFORE I SENT IT
        GRRRR
        LETS PLAY FOOTBALL
        I WANT TO PLAY AGAINST RICE
        PLAY PASS DEFENSE
        AT SAFETY
        SHOW THEM HOW ITS DONE BRO !!

        Liked by 2 people

  3. It’s the Democrats -they figured if your seat’s too small you’ll diet to fit in. Then you’ll be lighter and use less gas to haul your ass around. It’s part of the green new deal, building back better, whip inflation now bill.
    Wait for the new taxes to kick in.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Ya, how dare you people think you have rights. We will tell you what rights you can have. One is you do not have the right to a good seat. Sit where you are told and say nothing in disagreement or you will be a racist.

      Liked by 4 people

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    2. What a ghost of an idea!– Problem is people won’t diet and nearly 2/3 of the American public over 30 years of age is fat, or at least overweight. We might have to pry some Trojans out of those miniature seats when it is time to go home

      Liked by 3 people

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    3. That’s how they solve america’s overweight problem. They tax you so much that you can’t afford food. That’s Uncle Joes incredible weight loss program. I think it was Ronald Reagan who said “if you hear a knock on your door and you open the door and a man says to you ‘I am from the government and I am here to help you'”…….RUN!!!!!

      Liked by 2 people

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  5. Speaking of seat comfort remember the Rose Bowl when they had mostly benches to sit on rather than seats, and very few bathrooms. Stanford Stadium was also that way very uncomfortable. One thing for sure if the team performs wells, and has a good season most will be able to tolerate the smaller seats unless you weigh over 300 lbs.

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      1. I recall as a kid bench-sitting only football games. Thing is, though, I was a young nothing-bothers-me type, so I never once thought about that old bench.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Michael,
        I remember. in the ’74 Rose Bowl game against Ohio St., I had better seats than the governor, Ronald Regan. I sat on the 50 yard line row 52 and Mr. Regan sat on the 45 yard line row 50. Yes, they were bench seats made out of wood. I also sat at a Stanford game on the redwood benches and getting a big splinter in my rear end.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Now that alcohol is back at the games, I wonder when we’ll start seeing brawls in the stands again. I saw some doozies in the 90’s!

    I thought of Lawyer John’s comments about how rude people are being with each other when I read this story today:

    A registered nurse was arrested for allegedly firing several gunshots into her neighbor’s apartment over piano noise in Arcadia, California. Pin Hsin Lin, who had been teaching piano lessons in her apartment for nearly three years, was getting ready for a lesson when a bullet that was fired through her ceiling barely missed her.

    Police said they found her 39-year-old neighbor, Kathryn Pugh, intoxicated and in possession of two legally registered guns in her apartment. She was arrested and charged with two counts of felony for discharging a firearm at an inhabited dwelling.

    Pugh is reportedly a Los Angeles registered nurse who was honored with a Daisy Award at Huntington Health in 2019. The award recognizes “excellence in clinical skills, caring and compassion.”

    Judge Terry Lee Smerling ordered her to be held without bail despite Pugh not having a criminal record.

    “She has no priors, she’s a responsible person, she went to Berkeley, she got a scholarship, she got a 4.0 GPA,” Pugh’s mother told ABC 7. “She is one of the best people ever put on this Earth.”

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. Crazy to have this story only a few days after that other nurse killed those people in Windsor Hills. Turns out that loser had 13 prior accidents!

        $9M bail and SIX murder charges! Not sure how they got that sixth, since most fetuses in CA are not considered people.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. We all possess angel and devil characteristics, it is human nature. And bad-ass alcohol can bring out the worst in some folks. This nurse apparently cannot handle drink

      And if it is true what her mother says about her, that she is one of the best people ever, well, I say it does not matter. In some situations you do not get a second chance for redemption.

      Many a murderer in this country only committed one murder in his life, and I am sure many murderers were otherwise pretty good citizens. But in life it sometimes takes only one mistake to change your life for the worse for your remaining years.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. slo cal…..can you comfort your racist boy pasadenatrojan? He’s extremely triggered and ready to start a civil war.

        The guy needs to be medicated, I’m serious!

        Like

    3. I litigated a year’s worth of Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) discovery & pretrial motions in Judge Smerling’s court. Although he had some degree of sympathy for their politics he was incredibly fair minded in his rulings —and smart as a whip. It was a pleasure watching him work.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. I always watch-closely a judge who is too nice upon first meeting him for a jury Trial. Those types are often overly hard-hearted in some of their rulings (especially when they rule against me!)

        Like

  8. hi john,u think preznint bidin dowing grate,I think the vise preznint iz gud to,like i tel missus ed,we in grate hanz wit them,thay cair abowt us so called liddel poeple and gunna giv us them ritch poeples munneys cuz we wunt it and thay got it,

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. The world according to Ed.G– If you ever want to put your entire life down on paper, I am your man, Ed.

      I would rather write than do law work, but after people have read some of my writings, they often politely tell me, “Don’t give up your day job, Johnny”

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  9. Seats not exactly designed for the Klump family. Eddie Murphy at his best:

    “You got a big ass. I got a big ass. Your momma’s got a big ass. You are from one big ass family.”

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    1. An 80 year old with dementia in the White House is something people never would have believed 10-20 years ago, FY.

      So nothing will ever surprise me again, in terms of elections.

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      1. …..and how would you characterize the fat ass who left this country in the worst disaster in modern history…..

        Never mind, you wouldn’t comprehend!

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      3. Reagan was 77 & 349 days when he left office. Dementia Man will be 80 in Nov.

        But not everyone who is 80 suffers from Dementia. So it’s not as much his age as his condition, which people with any sense recognized in 2019-20.

        Like

    3. We are all losers, FU. And winners sometimes too. It’s called life

      Would you have wanted a perfect life, one void of any major problems?– It is the problems and how we deal with them that sometimes resonate more loudly in our memory than our victories.

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  11. From the LAT (8/9/2022):

    A donor-run NIL collective is coming to USC football — against the school’s wishes
    USC players head to practice during the first day of fall training camp.
    USC players head to practice during the first day of fall training camp at USC on Aug. 5.(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
    EL SEGUNDO, CA-AUGUST 14, 2019: Ryan Kartje, USC Beat Writer, Los Angeles Times
    BY RYAN KARTJE
    STAFF WRITER
    FOLLOW
    AUG. 9, 2022 5:13 PM PT
    When USC partnered with an outside media company to launch BLVD LLC, the hope was that its unique approach to facilitating name, image and likeness endorsement deals for Trojan athletes would help stave off the rise of a donor-run collective — and keep USC out of the crosshairs of any future NCAA crackdowns.

    But less than two months later, The Times has learned that a group of deep-pocketed USC donors and diehard fans are proceeding with their own NIL operation against the school’s wishes.

    The group plans to soon launch “Student Body Right,” a third-party collective they say is essential for USC to properly compete with other top schools that feature collectives. They’re hardly alone among Trojans football fans, especially those frustrated by BLVD.

    Within USC, however, the effort to start a collective outside of the university’s reach is being viewed as an existential threat that could invite serious scrutiny if the NCAA opts to enforce its NIL policies.

    Dale Rech has no such concerns. A Florida-based businessman and lifelong USC fan, Rech was a Trojans football donor into the Pete Carroll era, but grew disenchanted with the athletic department and eventually cut ties. He’s leading the effort on Student Body Right, he says, to offer an NIL alternative to BLVD “for those who want to contribute to the football program without any connection to USC at all.”

    The group includes Brian Kennedy, who was once one of USC’s top athletic donors and whose name still graces the Trojans’ practice field. Kennedy’s relationship with USC soured nearly a decade ago, but he confirmed to The Times that he has been involved in discussions about Student Body Right.

    Details regarding how payments will be distributed to players have yet to be finalized, but Rech said the collective’s intent is to provide “the equivalent of a base salary” for every member of USC’s football team who is academically eligible. To receive those payments, players would perform community service and take part in charitable work with local organizations.

    Los Angeles, CA – August 04: USC wide receiver Jordan Addison talks with reporters on media day.
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    How that charitable work will be valued or how payments would be divided among players is still up in the air. Student Body Right has filed for 501(c)(3) status as a charitable organization, which would make certain donations to the group tax-deductible. BLVD is not a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Student Body Right is not the first outside NIL outfit to apply for such status. Several collectives, including those at Texas, Texas Tech, Notre Dame and Arizona, have either sought or already received the same 501(c)(3) status, even as some experts warn it could invite an audit should either the IRS or state governments decide to take a closer look to whether the collectives exist for charitable purposes.

    The murkiness of that definition, coupled with the regulatory uncertainty surrounding NIL, is already making leaders at USC uneasy.

    ADVERTISING

    In response to questions from The Times, USC athletic director Mike Bohn issued a statement, representing the university’s position. It refused to acknowledge the existence of Student Body Right.

    “Earlier this year, USC worked with Stay Doubted to create BLVD LLC, an agency and media company that provides NIL services to all USC student athletes,” Bohn said. “USC is not aware of a formal donor-created NIL collective. We ask any donors who would like to support USC’s athletes through NIL to please work with BLVD so that all activities are conducted in compliance with state laws and NCAA rules.”

    Rech said that his group has consulted with multiple outside attorneys and tax experts while setting up the collective to ensure they’re in compliance with all applicable NCAA rules, however uncertain the current interpretation of those rules may be. New guidelines outlined by the NCAA in May do, however, explicitly prohibit boosters — as well as the collectives they may represent — from being involved in the recruiting process or offering NIL deals as an inducement to sign with a school.

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    USC could presumably be held responsible by the NCAA for any breach of those rules. But Rech says Student Body Right has no intention of being involved with recruiting or anything involving prospective Trojans athletes. NIL payments would only be made to enrolled athletes who completed the required charitable work.

    “This is a standalone collective, with no affiliation or ties to the university,” Rech said. “The NCAA cannot go back at the university as long as we’re in compliance and stay within what the guidelines of the NCAA and state require. There’s no blowback from us on the university. They just want control.”

    That power struggle isn’t unique to USC. As third-party collectives have continued sprouting up across college football, universities now find themselves grappling with deep-pocketed donors who may now wield outsized influence in athletics, without any real recourse to keep them in check.

    “We feel really good about the way we’re aligned, associated with BLVD, and we’re looking forward to a successful agency that’s going to be compliant with NCAA rules,” Bohn told The Times when asked if the two organizations could co-exist.

    When Rech began exploring the prospect of a third-party collective at USC, he says he reached out to BLVD to inform them of his plans and inquire about working together.

    “They were confident that they didn’t need our help,” Rech said.

    USC quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Miller Moss warm up at practice.
    USC quarterbacks Caleb Williams (13) and Miller Moss (7) warm up at practice during the first day of fall training camp at USC on Aug. 5.(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
    So he decided at the time to pause progress on the collective, as BLVD planned to pitch to members of USC’s Scholarship Club, which includes top-level donors who have committed $20,000 or more to the Trojan Athletic Fund.

    BLVD hosted two Zoom meetings last month outlining the organization’s goals. One slide from their presentation, which was viewed by The Times, shows that BLVD set a fundraising goal of $75 million during the next five years, amounting to $15 million per year.

    But the presentations also raised concerns from some donors about where their money would be allocated. As explained during the meeting, only 50% of any given donation would be allocated where the donor chose, while the other 50% would be set aside in BLVD’s general fund to be allocated however BLVD saw fit.

    That policy is in the process of being changed in light of pushback from donors, two people familiar with the decision told The Times. But concerns about BLVD’s viability in the NIL marketplace persist among top-level donors and USC fans, many of who have been calling for a third-party collective to emerge for months.

    For Rech, those concerns were the final impetus to move forward with Student Body Right. He doesn’t see why USC is so certain the two can’t co-exist.

    “We’re not taking away from BLVD,” Rech said. “We’re filling a gap of money that they weren’t going to get anyway.”

    Like USC’s administrators, Mike Jones doesn’t see the need for an outside collective and the potential liability that comes with it. As CEO of Stay Doubted, the outside media agency that partnered with the university to create BLVD, Jones told The Times that BLVD “has the ability to operate like any other collective in the country.”

    Jones went on to refer to BLVD as a “collective-plus” — a shift in phrasing from its June rollout when USC sought to distance itself from any association with collectives.

    “We see ourselves as the future model of what collectives will get to,” Jones continued.

    USC quarterback Caleb Williams sits inside the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
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    Asked for proof of that progress, Jones said USC is “looking at eight-figures-plus annually” in private donations, before considering potential corporate sponsorships, content sales or merchandise. He also said that USC has already issued “seven-figures-plus” in deals to Trojans athletes since BLVD was rolled out.

    New USC coach Lincoln Riley echoed that positive outlook at Pac-12 media day when asked about BLVD’s launch.

    “I took this job feeling like we’d have advantages in the NIL space over any team in the country, and I know that now,” Riley told The Times. “I know [BLVD] is still a little bit in its infant stages, and I think this thing is going to turn out to be a huge part of USC athletics and USC football. It’s something that has my complete support, our staff’s complete support and I would encourage every single Trojan fan out there to get involved because it will make a difference.”

    While supporting BLVD, Riley acknowledged there may be a time when collectives are standard for every major college football program.

    “If this world becomes a collective world, our supporters here will support our guys as much as anyone in the country,” Riley said. “If it doesn’t become a collective world, who has a better setup than this? However these rules evolve, we’re positioned.

    “The thing we don’t want to do for a future athlete, our current program, any of the staff is that we do something now that’s later deemed against the rules or they decide to enforce the rules, and now we’re in trouble. Now we’re in trouble. Now we’re on probation. Now people are getting fired or guys are losing eligibility. Nobody wants to go through that. We don’t have to. Here, you can have all the benefits, and you don’t have to take on that risk. Then whenever they actually define these rules, we’ll set our course and go.”

    Rech is less confident in BLVD. In the rapidly changing world of NIL, he insists he wants to ensure that the living expenses of every football player at USC are taken care of. If that means working in concert with BLVD or continuing an already contentious relationship, so be it.

    “We welcome anyone that can get USC back to winning national championships,” Rech said.

    USC SPORTS

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Figures. If there is a buck to be made here come the money-vultures. Which, by the way, includes us all. Unfortunately. But most of us are small-time, as in “I feel guilty because I fraudulently added 5-hours to my company time sheet.” But others are big-time thieves, and the potential of the SC-bonanza is very intoxicating, and has the cockroach-money-drunk thieves emerging from out of the groundwork.

      So a competing entity of ‘Come get your money SC football players’ is trying to pass itself off as a charitable organization. I smell scum lawyers at work here. Or to paraphrase a Will Rogers quote, “I never met a lawyer I could be good friends with’

      Liked by 1 person

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    2. The liability issues are endless….and need to be addressed if not litigated.
      #ISeeAWritOfProhibitionComingDownTheTracks

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      1. MG trouble-shoot this thing for Student Body Right and make some legal fees. I’m looking to wet my beak.

        Like

  15. Why is it most of the comments on this blog have a “reply” section, but some don’t. Very frustrating when you wish to reply to a nice posting.

    Anyway, this is for MG– when I tongue-in-cheek say I never met a lawyer I wanted to be friends with, it is not completely the truth, there have been 1 or 2 humorous lawyers I could have been real buddies with. And fortunately 1 of those 2 funny-guy lawyers I just recently met, sorta met, and he crushed my bad-lawyer generalities.

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    1. HI LJ

      WHATS WORSE THAN ALL THE LAWYERS IN THE WORLD BEING BURNED ALIVE VERYSLOWLY OVER A TWO DAY PERIOD UNTIL ALL ARE DEAD ??

      VERY VERYVERY OLD JOKE.

      Like

      Reply

    2. LJ, the first post has a reply, then usually the replies to it don’t. Just hit reply to the first post and your reply will fall in line. Best I can figure out.

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  16. Gabby,

    Biden knew and he ordered the hit on President Trump. He told his minon the Attorney General to be more of a prosecutor than a friend. This was nothing but a witch hunt. Once President Trump is cleared and back in office, he needs to get all of the rat bastards and have the FBI raid their residence at 5:30 A.M., all on the same day. The FBI has turned into the Gestapo for the bum ol’ senile biden. The FBI did not have a specific reason to raid the place. They just went in trying to find things.

    I feel sorry for you. Once day those “friend’s” of yours will show up at 5:30 A.M. without any announcement and take what ever they want and then throw hancuffs on you for no reason. That happens in Russia, China, Venezuela, and now the US. Get off the drugs and pull your head out of your ass. This is no joke.

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    1. Wow!…. another tantrum, beyond pathetic!

      Your repeated stupidity is not worthy of my rebuttal regarding the “RAID”(love it!) and Biden’s perceived involvement

      If you continue to mock me, I will start punching-down on your sorry ass. I’ll make you my #1 bitch.

      You sound like the typical cult member, who uses alternative facts to fuel their warped agenda. You need to get educated, little man. You’re a morally bankrupted, racist troll, who flushed all self-dignity down the drain.

      PS…. how do you run for prez from behind bars?

      #TRIGGERED

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      1. Gabby the only #1 bitch that will be yours is the ugly red headed step child from ugly. I see that you belong to the goose stepping numbots of the democrap party and you will take marching orders without thought. just like the germans did with hitler. Don’t hurt your self. Just go watch Seasme Street where you won’t get hurt.

        Like

      2. Another tough-talking troll, hiding behind his fucking keyboard….you and slo cal are cut from the same DNA…. Comparing me to a Nazi is fucking childish….just goes to show the limited mentality you posses…. If you have any real balls, let’s meet up….OR STFU!!!!!

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    2. Even left leaning Geraldo Rivera a few minutes ago, about the raid on Trump’s house: “Even I have to admit, this was a little like a librarian sending the SWAT team to collect an overdue book.”

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      1. Tooooo funnnny!!!! Rivera hasn’t been relevant in many many years. You’ll go down any sewer looking for something to stick….

        #EMBARRASSING!

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  17. So Cal, would it be possible for you to post your political feelings elsewhere? I appreciate how you feel, but we are getting into a serious football season now. I am trying to say this nicely, not to upset anyone.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I concur 1000000%…. I know at times I’m over zealous, and the BS is getting out of control…I apologize and respect your concerns. With mutual cooperation, the bantering needs to tone-down

      #FIGHT ON

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    2. I’ll say this nicely. Don’t like them, don’t read them.

      Besides, I merely REPLIED to a post having to do with politics.

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      1. I’m sure my fist down your throat will shut you up(LOL!),,,,, you disrespectful sack of shit…. and you wonder why we all laugh at you!!1

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      2. “We”?! There are a hell of a lot more people laughing at your childish bullshit. Many won’t post in response cuz they know the type of juvenile responses they’ll get from you.

        Fist down my throat? Yeah, look who plays keyboard tough guy! Shove it up your fat ass, Loser.

        The only people crying about political posts are the idiots who were stupid enough to vote for all of this.

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      3. slo cal: “The only people crying about political posts are the idiots who were stupid enough to vote for all of this.”

        you senile fucking troll, you’re the fucking dementia-brain posting 10 plus times a day voicing grievances related to Biden. Another laughable moment from you.

        I have a lot more respect from others on this blog than you want to believe.

        Bottom line, you need a good ass whipping!…. you and Pasadena can tag-team….beavis and butthead

        Like

      4. Crying about people posting about politics does not equal laughing at this failure of an administration. Damn, your reading comprehension sucks.

        Show me anywhere, where I’ve cried and told people they shouldn’t post about politics! You can’t. Why? Because you make up bullshit, same as you couldn’t post anything where I “praised Putin” nor anywhere, where I “prayed for Biden’s demise”. Yes, you’ve made all of those claims and they were all lies.

        Your stupidity goes on & on & on, same as the Energizer bunny.

        Like

      6. You stupid fucking troll, you missed the whole irony in my comment…. go service your goats..you sound like the typical redneck cult member…..Another laughable moment from you!….

        Where is MG…you need his help!

        Like

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