Debunking USC Football’s Semblance of Uniform Tradition

Nothing makes USC football fans lose sleep like the mere allusion to change, much less the suggestion or a campaign for it.

On Friday, a rumor surfaced on the internet that the Trojans’ road jerseys in 2016 –while keeping the same exact design — could feature a cardinal collar and sleeve cuffs.

Naturally, fans on multiple social media platforms lost their minds at that the thought of change.

“We are USC!,” said one fan on Reign of Troy’s Facebook page. “We don’t need to follow trends. We’re better than that.”

He wasn’t alone.

“There is absolutely no reason to change USC’s great uniforms, a tradition we alumni cherish, and can be recognized at a glance around the country,” read another comment.

While it’s amazing that the color of a collar can bring out so much response, it all begs one giant question: What is USC football’s tradition?

Is it the black shoes? Is it the crescent-shaped chevrons on the shoulder of the football jerseys, matched with cardinal helmets and grey facemasks?

Is it never losing to Oregon State at the Coliseum, routinely being hyped in the offseason or consistently ignoring outside coaching candidates to hire familiar names?

Habits those things may be, they’re not traditions. They’re traits we see USC football as having, but they’re not what it exactly is.

The word tradition –specifically the way fans use it– is really another way of saying law.

And USC football’s fundamental laws of being, its fan-defined traditions, are simple.

It’s wearing cardinal and gold. It’s not having names on the back of the jerseys. It’s playing home football games at the Coliseum.

That’s it.

The idea perpetuated by USC fans that the Trojans never change their uniforms is entirely rooted in denial.

Things like kicking flagpoles when leaving campus and chanting ‘Beat the ’ during Conquest are all a part of the Trojans’ rich culture that makes the football program such a fun, historic one.

But culture changes. Laws require amendments.

ALSO READ: 25 Best USC Football Traditions

So the idea perpetuated by USC fans that the Trojans never change their uniforms is entirely rooted in denial. And when coupled with the popular phrase, ‘We’re not Oregon,’ it’s an idea drenched in insecurity.

Relax. Have faith in what you believe in. USC’s traditions are safe, no matter what anyone else does.

Heck, the program has been around since 1888, repeatedly changing to the tune of its own beat. But once a tradition has truly been adopted, the Trojans aren’t keen to give it up on account of someone else.

Throughout the years, USC’s visual identity –much like the Los Angeles Lakers– has only been touched as a way to ring in a new era, and strengthen the brand by adapting it to modern ideals.

In the first half of the 20th Century, the Trojans played football games wearing eccentric get-ups with vertical stripes There were even diamonds on leather helmets.

Afterwards, USC changed their helmet design repeatedly, including adding a stripe, and even going radical with a metallic gold helmet in 1957.

They then went contemporary, going pro-style in 1972, with horizontal stripes on the sleeves on the jerseys. They then coupled that with three different tweaks to the helmet before Pete Carroll brought back the retro look in 2002.

Carroll did it because he wanted to make a statement about USC football and rebuild the program into a team with many glories throughout its history.

That change, hearkening back to a previous era as opposed to moving forward, is the only time the football program has not been at the forefront of pushing modern style.

Though you can make the case that USC was a major player in bringing retro back, along with the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia 76ers and Edmonton Oilers.

And while the Trojans haven’t had a major change to their football jerseys since 2002, they’ve still kept their image fresh all along the way.

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The team has enlarged the interlocking ‘SC’ logo on the collars, added a gold tint with real gold flakes on the facemasks, experimented with cardinal and gold shoes, ditched white socks at home and have used modern technology like Nike’s Pro-Combat jerseys since 2012.

Through that all, the constant has always been nameless jerseys, a cardinal and gold palette and home games at the Coliseum.

The color of a collar doesn’t change that. Nor the color of a cuff.

Material changes, patches and alterations to the trim of a jersey are always going to be a part of sports. Even the Dodgers and Yankees have tweaked their logos over the years to the point that they can’t even remember which one is right.

And when it comes to the Trojans, just about every change has been one that has been great for the program. That’s because they’ve been done with USC in mind; its future, its goals and its brand.

So take a deep breath, Trojan fans. It’s just a collar.

Debunking USC Football’s Semblance of Uniform Tradition

Nothing makes USC football fans lose sleep like the mere allusion to change, much less the suggestion or a campaign for it.

More from Reign of Troy

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