Trojan Pep Rally

"It was electrifying."

That's how one Trojan fan described the pep rally held for the USC football team Friday night at the Grove in front of a stage assembled especially for the event. The festivities began at 6:30 in the middle of the open-air shopping mall located at the corner of Third and Fairfax Streets just a few blocks south of Hollywood.

The Spirit of Troy, USC's marching band, opened the festivities with several of their signature songs, starting out with "Tusk," the Fleetwood Mac song they were featured in back in 1979.


One of the speakers, City Councilman Tom LaBonge, said after his speech that though he thought the Trojans would win, he wasn't going to guess the final score. "I don't predict scores, I only pick winners." The fourth district representative did note that he thought that "the Trojans are the best coached team in America."

The pep rally virtually shut down movement within the Grove, making many shoppers who were uninterested in USC football more than a little upset.

Those trying to make their way through the packed sidewalks were visibly frustrated, pushing and shoving to try to get past the glut of fans. One family with two small boys was forced to make a hand-holding train in order to navigate the sea of people, and at one point the father sternly told another woman, "Stop pushing," after he noticed her shoving his sons.

But while shoppers were trying to navigate through all the Trojan fans, the football team was nowhere to be found. Instead, they were bowling at the Lucky Strike Lanes in Hollywood, an official event that is part of the lead-up to the Rose Bowl.