Things Sure Change in 40 Years (but Some Remain the Same)

...Since our (USC's) last HOME game in the LA Coliseum was last Saturday (we whipped Notre Dame 41-10), I thought I'd mention some of the things that have changed in college football since my days as a coed (other than the perfect boobs). If you have no interest in football, you can stop reading now....

First and most obvious is that there's a LOT more money -- and I do mean a lot! In my days, the stadium (capacity of 90,000) would draw maybe 30,000 people on a good day, and, on the days we played Notre Dame, USC fans were always WAY outnumbered by the Fighting Irish. Now the crowds run close (or at) to capacity (90K) and we (USC) account for a good 75% of the total. The team is completely endowed -- two teams (cardinal and gold) of 11 players each, with each position endowed at a minimum of $350K and the coach endowed at $1.5M. Even our mascot (the trusty white steed named Traveler) is endowed.... Then there's the band, which travels to the away games (complete with it's own security force), while most of the opponents (even Notre Dame) can't afford to bring theirs along. Other changes include beer (and fights) in the stadium (it was dry in my day); female cheerleaders (male only in the olden days); nighttime games (always during the day before, but now kickoff is anytime from 11:00 AM until 7:30 PM -- to accommodate the TV schedules, of course); cheers such as UCLA SUCKS (thank goodness my parents are no longer with us); and great hotdogs peddled by Mexican street vendors and cooked over little portable propane stoves.

Outside the stadium, there are ritzy parties everywhere -- all around the Coliseum grounds and also all over the campus itself (we never had anything that remotely resembles these get-togethers). But the one that I find most amazing is a custom-made job that is always parked in the same place at the Coliseum. It's a custom flatbed (hooked to a huge 4-wheel drive) that's outfitted with about 20 bean bag chairs filled with fans drinking beer and watching football games on a plasma screen TV!

Yes, lots of changes in 40 years. But one thing remains absolutely constant: UCLA is still our arch rival (with Notre Dame a very close 2nd). So root for USC this Saturday, when we play UCLA in the Rose Bowl (the home turf for UCLA). And, yes, I already have my reservations for the Orange Bowl on Jan 4th -- no tickets, just reservations. Tickets are being handled through a lottery, so we'll just have to see whether my luck is better with the lottery than it was in Las Vegas last week!

Fight on!!!!