So, believe it or not, football is not that big a deal in Canada – shocker. We love our hockey & anything else just seems to be a waste of ice time. However, I quickly found out upon coming to the U.S. that football was their hockey & I knew absolutely nothing about it. My lack of football knowledge was never really a problem though, as Pepperdine doesn’t even have a football team.  But when I visited my brother, during homecoming weekend at USC, that all changed.  I attended my first USC Trojans Football game.

I realized that I am being somewhat robbed of a real college experience. At Pepperdine no one really goes to sporting events, even though all our teams are actually really good & there’s always free stuff at every game. Although everyone will still shout AYO Waves & tell you Pepperdine is the best, we are missing an aspect of our community – a team to rally around.  At USC, everyone was out on the lawns tailgating & dressed fully in gold & red.  Parades trailed through the seas & seas of people & they were pumped up for the game they were actually going to attend. Then, if the beer pong & marching bands weren’t overwhelming enough, I walked into the stadium.

We had bought our tickets the night before & just clicked best seats (like amateurs).  We ended up at the very top of the stadium! We really couldn’t complain though cause the huge wall at the top shaded us nicely from the sun, otherwise I probably would still look like a lobster.

Since it was homecoming, the halftime show was huge. All I could think was how sorry I felt for the marching band who had to march through campus, stand in the risers at the end of the field the entire game, & perform at the halftime show, all while wearing your typical polyester marching band suit with the hat, cape, & gloves included.

Although I didn’t understand everything that was happening & the game seemed to drag on a bit since it wasn’t as action-packed as hockey & we were stuck in the nose-bleeds, football is a huge part of university life for Trojans. I can’t help but feel like we are missing that part of the university experience here at Pepperdine & that is why I want to start a motion to rally around a sports team so we have something to cheer for! I vote for beach volleyball since I miss playing & it gives me a valid excuse to go to the beach on a weekly basis.

http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/usc-m-footbl-body.html