Why does USC (apparently) not have a large fan base?

the bear - 2009-08-14 4:52 PM Lot of other things to do in SoCal. Unlike, say, Iowa, or south Louisiana.

Spokes - 2009-08-14 4:50 PM



Basketball - the Lakers - different, but yeah, the Rams and the Raiders left because they weren't making money (or as much as they would like) in that market.

As someone who is new to California, I think its simply that the weather is SO nice, why sit on your butt at a football game when you could be at the beach?

jmk-brooklyn - 2009-08-14 5:00 PM



I bet the weather has a lot to do with it. SoCal also has a LOT of transplants from other places, so you don't have the generations of loyalty to the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels and Clippers that you have, say, to the Buckeyes, Cardinals, Celtics, Red Wings, etc.

Spokes - 2009-08-14 6:35 PM



Maybe so, but there's a zillion people in LA and the rest of SoCal... tOSU, Michigan, UGA, Tenn, all fill stadiums in that size range regularly, and their fans have much longer drives to the stadiums.

Poster Nutbag - 2009-08-14 4:57 PM From a 3rd generation Dodger fan that was born and raised in SoCal ...

1.  Coliseum is big.  For USC games, it's open to about 93k+, but it can seat way more.

2.  Coliseum is crappy.  It's old and not that great of a venue.  Fine for current college students, but not so much for a pro fan base used to luxury suites and other amenities ... that they CAN get at a Lakers, Dodgers, Clippers, Ducks or Angels game.

3.  Area around Coliseum is crappy AND dangerous.  USC Campus is nice, but step off campus by even 5 feet and you are in the heart of South Central LA.  Also, no real tailgating options, and few local bars or restaurants.

4.  LOTS of other things to do in LA on a Saturday besides fighting traffic in gangland to watch a game in a crappy stadium.

5. The view is better from the fine Corinthian leather couches in front of the hi-def 72 inch plasma in the yacht/mansion/Palm Springs weekend condo.

Not personally a fan of the school, but they really do have a large, large fan base.

uclamatt2007 - 2009-08-14 7:47 PM

It's because they don't play in the SEC, they must suck.

So many jokes to make here... but I'll just add one thing. The UCLA/USC ticket is supposed to be the third most expensive ticket in the country this year, behind USC/ND and FLA/GA

ChrisM - 2009-08-14 7:57 PM



From someone that works just north of the Coliseum, x2

My personal reason is, I went to a USC game once.   I would MUCH rather spend a day with Raider fans than USC fans, and that's saying something considering it could get you kilt

deskjockeyjim - 2009-08-14 7:29 PM Might also have to do with the fact that the Coliseum seats 93 thousand people...HUGE secondary market there, I'm sure...

DerekL - 2009-08-14 5:58 PM Not sure how it works over there, but ticket prices are the same for every game where I'm from. Some are harder to get than others, but they're the same price. Of course I went to an SEC school so I'm sure this is way over my head.