LOS ANGELES — This season marked the first year Andrew Gonzales had Southern California football season tickets. He planned to bring his dad, Ronnie, with him to the season opener on Aug. 29, but he told his son no.
So Gonzales’ wife went instead – and she ended up outside in the tunnels, needing bags of ice to stay cool.
“She was one of thousands,” he told USA TODAY Sports.
Gonzalez was part of the relatively small crowd that made it out to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Week 0 game between USC and San Jose State, only to deal with brutal heat that greatly contributed to why the historic stadium looked empty. The announced attendance for the game was 51,144, but the eye test made it clear it wasn’t anywhere close to that figure.
Regardless,
it instantly became the story of college football, with people across the country dunking on USC for not drawing in a packed stadium when other blue bloods do it on an every game basis.
So it raised a question: what’s going on at USC?
To those that have been there for decades, it’s not that deep, as many fans believe it’s a one-off instance with many contributing factors, and the entire country will soon see there’s nothing wrong with the followers of Troy.
USA TODAY Sports spoke to more than a dozen fans at the Coliseum ahead of its Week 1 game against Fresno State on Friday, Sept. 4, and only two people said they stayed for the entirety of the win over San Jose State.
Mike Suda, a season ticket holder for 50 years, left at the end of the third quarter. Vince Dominguez, season ticket holder since 2001, took off at halftime.
For most, they all left for the same reason: the heat.
“Brutal,” Dominguez said. “Hottest game I've ever been in my life.”
The game kicked off at noon local time with the temperature at 94 degrees, but unusually high humidity contributed to a heat index that reached up to 104 degrees. That’s a level the U.S. National Weather Service describes as dangerous, with heat exhaustion and stroke possible with prolonged exposure.
Like Gonzales’ wife, there were plenty of people that needed assistance. The Los Angeles Fire Department told USA TODAY Sports it made contact with 15 patients, with one person who was taken to a local hospital.
“Twelve o'clock start in August in California,” said 30-year season ticket holder Jeff Williams. “It's not a smart thing to do.”
Greg Terrell, who’s attended games since the 1960s, stayed all the way through, but it helped his seats were in the shade for nearly all of the game. He wasn’t surprised to see others not so fortunate head out early.
Every person mentioned the heat was a main factor, and putting it right in the middle of the day didn’t help. However, some people noted not having a high-caliber opponent worsened it. USC played San Jose State as a result of its annual rivalry with Notre Dame falling through.
When all those mix, why not stay cool, or do one of the numerous other things possible in Los Angeles? The diehards will be there, but not many outside of it.
“It's just hot. Not a good opponent,” Dominguez said. “If we had played Notre Dame, yeah, it would have been full. But people like San Jose State, it’s going to be a blowout. Why am I going to sit in the heat when I could be at the beach?”
That also shows another component in the mix: being a box office attraction. Williams remembers the days of the Pete Carroll era when it didn’t matter the weather or opponent, the Coliseum was packed. That was when USC was winning national titles and at the least, Rose Bowl Game-bound.
It speaks to the culture of sports in Los Angeles. You have to win to draw people in. That’s why the Dodgers have the best attendance in MLB and the Lakers remain relevant.
Under Lincoln Riley, USC has yet to crack the College Football Playoff, and consistently falling short of expectations can wane people off investing, especially when USC is continuously asking for it.
“Welcome to L.A. I don't care if the Dodgers suck; nobody's there. You got to win,” Suda said. “If the product's not on the field, or it's not a great matchup, or it's a crappy time, we're not going to sell it out. That's just the way it is.”
There was some disappointment from fans over the low turnout, but it paled to how much scrutiny USC got from around the country. Maybe it’s USC’s blue blood status and the high expectations to be winners, but people didn’t pull any punches bashing the team.
“Everyone looks to blow it out of proportion,” Terrell said. “That's the fun of it all.”
So why do USC fans think the hate was so strong? Some fans point to jealousy of life in the Golden State and people taking any opportunity to take a shot at the West Coast.
But no matter what, all of them have the same belief: USC will have the stadium packed again soon.
Many fans pointed to how USC will host No. 2 Oregon and No. 1 Ohio State this season, where it is expected to be near or at capacity and a “madhouse,” as Williams described. Besides, USC has had strong crowd support. The average attendance of 67,783 last season was in the top 25 of FBS.
No matter what’s going on in the crowd, if USC is able to remain perfect on the field, then “you have the full fan base engaged, plus the peripheral around,” it all flocking to be in the stands, Terrell added. If that can continue, then it can be back to the days Williams remembers.
“There shouldn’t be any reason why every game, I don't care who we're playing, we should have this stadium sold out,” he said.
So yes, the attendance in Week 0 was bad, and no one is afraid to admit it. But those people that were on the receiving end of disses don’t think that argument will sustain much longer.
“There's a huge group of devoted USC fans who have stuck by USC when they suck and when they can't even have the opportunity to win a championship,” said Michelle Edwards. “We're not going anywhere.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC football crowd got hate. Fans say don't believe the narrative
