On the heels of my college Alma mater (U.S.C.) losing Pete Carroll to a mediocre NFL coaching job, I began to wonder just why my blackberry had been blowing up the past 24 hours. Then it occurred to me, as sports fans (heck, as humans), we like to revel in the demise of greatness. All my friends that had to endure my gloating for seven years straight, finally were given the last laugh.
Seven years of winning the PAC10. A record six BCS Bowl victories. Two National Championships. Seven consecutive A.P. Top4 finishes. Twenty-Five All-Americans and Three Heisman Trophy winners. Yeah....that just smells like a lot of swagger for anyone who is part of the Trojan Family.
I received calls coast-to-coast from friends trying to test my temperature (I prefer: 'rattle my cage') upon hearing the devastating news that our leader, quite frankly, had enough of the NCAA politics and wanted to upgrade his 'operating system' by accepting an offer from Microsoft co-founder and Seahawks owner, Paul Allen. I even received one text from a dubious FSU graduate that said, "USC will become nonexistent." Now, if that's not the pot calling the kettle black. If he thinks USC is going to become irrelevant with our successful coach leaving....what the heck is going to happen to the Seminoles program, which has been irrelevant WITH their legendary coach, who is retiring?
We all have a friend who follows their program a little too 'out loud'. It could be a Laker fan, a RedSox fan, or a Florida Gator fan. Too much success leads to emotions on their sleeve, their pants, their shoes, hats etc... However, good news for us, sports is unscripted. Nothing is guaranteed and that includes continued success. Eventually the tide will turn and those teams that enjoyed success for extended periods of time will end up in the back of the line once again waiting their turn. Guess who else is waiting in the back of the line? Those friends you've been ragging on from the front of the line all those years. It's the old adage, "misery loves company." Most of the friends that called were the ones that haven't experienced success in awhile.
About a week ago I witnessed this same phenomenon in Atlanta. When Urban Meyer initially announced he was stepping down as the head coach from the Gators, every University of Georgia fan/alumni was happier than a bulldog on a bag of ice in summer. I'm sure Gator fans received the same calls and text messages I got. Again, human nature takes over and sports fans just had to revel in the looming demise of greatness. Of course when Meyer had a change of heart (no pun intended), and announced he may return to coaching the Gators after some time away, Georgia fans all of sudden sounded a little too concerned about his health. I heard more UGA fans crying, "He's putting his life at risk, he shouldn't come back. He's putting team before family." Who knew UGA fans were so worried about the well being of Urban Meyer. Needless to say, it was pretty transparent. Georgia fans (and SEC fans for that matter) wanted to revel in the end of the Meyer era, but this 'Urban legend' just wouldn't let them.
So have at it all you haters. Enjoy your moment right now as the USC Trojans try maintain their level of excellence in L.A.P. (Life After Pete). Keep hoping that this is the end of the Trojan's run. Keep hoping that we get sent to the back of the line. In the interim, I'll leave you with this: Trojan Football has become a brand. It's a brand that high school kids across America know and respect. It's brand that was around before Pete Carroll, winning championships in the 1960's and 70's, and will be around after Pete Carroll in decades to come. Now that is something I can revel in...
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