Besides New York, the busiest city in America is Los Angeles and that goes for the sports scene. There is a lot of competition in terms of getting attention in L.A. and to USC’s credit, it’s doing its best in order to get eyeballs on the program.
But the Trojans still have some work to do.
With the Dodgers (MLB) and the two NFL teams, the Chargers and Rams, there is a lot on the plate for an L.A. fan. The Lakers are swimming in mediocrity right now, so there’s some room on that plate for the Trojans.
However, USC did itself a big disservice by losing out on the Pac-12 title and ultimately the College Football Playoff. To find out more about how the Trojans are handling everything, we went to Trojans Wire editor Matt Zemek.
USC was on the verge of playing the likes of Michigan or Ohio State, but now the Trojans play Tulane. The Green Wave are a very good team, but let’s face it, they’re not the Wolverines or Buckeyes, Here’s Zemek’s take:
The fact that Tulane is the opponent is the key. If USC was in the Rose Bowl playing Penn State, people would be excited. If USC was playing Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, people would be excited … but it’s Tulane. A lot of USC fans reasonably and understandably view this game as something with little upward value if USC wins, but a lot of negative impact if USC loses. Caleb Williams might not play, too, so that would devalue the game even more.
More proof that USC is still fighting on for space in the LA sports scene is the all-important television market and the ratings. Although the Trojans were playing for a title and a playoff spot, people weren’t tuning in as much as one would hope. The Pac-12 Championship Game received just a 6.0 in the LA market. Zemek did some research and offered an explanation.
It takes time for L.A. fans to warm up to USC football after a period of irrelevance. Crowds this season were steadily in the low 60,000s, well below full capacity of 78,500,” he said. “That’s just the reality. Also note that unlike in the Pete Carroll era, the Rams and Chargers are both in town. No NFL teams were in town during the Carroll years. The Rams returned to Los Angeles in 2016. The Chargers returned to L.A. in 2017. Fans don’t have unlimited dollars. They get spread around more. People relocating to Los Angeles might not be USC fans, either.
It’ll be interesting to hear how The Big Ten, USC’s new home in 2024, react to those numbers.
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