Over the weekend, images went viral on social media showing a mostly empty stadium for the USC Trojans’ home opener against the San Jose State Spartans. The attendance was so poor that USC’s athletic department even felt the need to issue a statement. Now, Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt is explaining the issue with the attendance the best way he can.
On Monday’s episode of The Joel Klatt Show, Klatt explained that the attendance at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday afternoon was so sparse for one simple reason: people in Los Angeles are “soft.”
‘We are soft’
While there are likely a lot of factors that went into the low attendance for Saturday’s game – the week 0 schedule, an inferior opponent, and a noon local kickoff – Klatt blames one thing for the lackluster crowd: the weather.
While there were sunny skies throughout Saturday’s contest, Klatt claims it was simply too hot for the Southern California residents, who have grown accustomed to “perfect” weather throughout the year.
“We in the Los Angeles area, in Southern California, are soft,” Klatt said simply. “I am as soft as they come. And I have now been here since 2013. And guess what – over 90 [degrees] is too hot, below 56 [degrees] is too cold.”
“That’s just what it is,” he added. “It’s not an excuse; it just is what it is.”
The weather was 94 degrees at kickoff, which might not sound too bad for people in most parts of the country. For Los Angeles residents, though, Klatt says it was simply unbearable.
“Over 90 [degrees] in the Coliseum with some humidity may as well be 130 [degrees],” he said. “People in Los Angeles are just not going to deal with that. It rains here, and it’s like Armageddon on the freeways. It’s just not like other places. Why? Because 350 days a year, it’s perfect. It’s 72 [degrees] and perfect.”
USC Issues Statement
After images of the empty crowd went viral over the weekend, USC’s athletic department actually issued a statement on the matter.
“We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” USC said in a statement to 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.”
We’ll have to see whether or not the crowd improves for Friday night’s game against Fresno State, when the weather is expected to be much more “perfect.”
About Kevin Harrish