USC issues statement regarding poor attendance at home opener - NBC Sports
USC issued a statement addressing the low attendance at their recent home football opener, which was the lowest during Lincoln Riley's tenure. The university attributed the poor turnout to extreme heat and other factors.
Why it matters
Attendance figures are critical for the financial health of college athletic programs and reflect fan engagement levels.
College football season began this weekend. Thousands of USC fans apparently didn’t get the memo.
Images from the Trojans’ home opener showed barely enough people in the stands to fit inside a wooden horse.
It was bad enough to prompt USC to issue a statement regarding the substandard showing.
“We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” USC said, via Jordan Mendoza of USA Today . “We have high expectations and a premier home schedule this season, and we know the competitive advantage an electric Coliseum atmosphere can provide our program. We thank our fans who showed up Saturday and look forward to seeing increased attendance the rest of the season.”
The announced attendance was 51,144, the lowest of coach Lincoln Riley’s time with the team. And it looked like a lot fewer fans than that.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in