Black Socks Controversy

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As feared, we hear that USC coach Lane Kiffin intends to switch to black socks for the 2011 season.after the Trojans wore them for the first time during Saturday’s scrimmage. Kiffin is going to end a USC tradition that goes hand-in-hand with black cleats and no names on the back of jerseys. No big deal.
Why the change? They are popular with the players. And we’re hearing Kiffin is using things like the decision of recruit De’Anthony Thomas switching from USC to Oregon (and its day-glo socks against Auburn) as a reason to change things up.
Somehow Pete Carroll managed to win 10-or-more games an unprecendented seven straight seasons with the burden of white socks. At least when Kiffin loses next season, you won’t hear, “it was the socks” as an excuse. (Photo/John McGillen)

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  • Flyerz73

    Scott, I thought you’d be a big fan of black socks. I hear you’ve been wearing the calf-length variety with your workout gear since Junior High.

  • LanceKiffin

    First of all Scott, you sound like a whiny b!itch. Second, my guess is you actually don’t give a crap about the uniform and tradition or the school the way you use your bully pulpit to constantly denigrate the team and the school. My guess is this is all just an effort to generate hits. Finally, who put you in charge of uniform traditions? In the early 90′s many top players were wearing cardinal spandex pants under their football pants and socks and no one seemed to care, so I have a hard time caring much about the color of socks.

    So far you’ve tried to insinuate that because we may switch to black socks we may also put names on the back, go to a black jersey and follow whOregon down the day-glo path. Keep feeding us that crap and it’ll end up ridiculed like your girl band fan boy posts and your Seahawk updates.

  • Son of CharIie Bucket

    wolf, you magnificent b@stard!! your stellar coverage of all things trOXan has ignited another -Gate…..

    Sock-Gate!!! so much for the oft-trumpeted Southern Cal tradition!! oh how the mighty have fallen!! feeling all left out and lonely under the crippling sanctions, and out of what can only be called desperation, Southern Cal is now trying to copy Tennesee and Oregon’s “style”!!

    what’s next is Southern Cal going to wear their helmets
    askew and let their pants hang down past their a$$es??? oh, Mercy Nurse!!!

  • BBPeps13

    I think the black socks look great with both the home and away jerseys. A black jersey would be pretty cool too. I get the whole tradition angle but we gotta also keep up with the times and black socks and alternate jerseys are in right now. It makes the players inspired and may play with a passion. On the other hand names on the back of the jersey should never be implemented, but as others have said just because kiffin is letting them wear black socks it doesn’t mean he will put names on the back of the jersey, or let them use a black jersey for that matter.

  • I DIg Go Go Girls

    Aside from what Wolf likes or doesn’t, this is an awful decision by Coach Sunshine. USC, Penn State, Alabama, Michigan don’t do shat like this for a reason. If Thomas went to Oregon because of their day glow socks, then he doesn’t get it to begin with. What’s next, multi colored shoes to attract some other dullard?

  • The Monopoly Is Over Here

    Cuing Allen Iverson… Socks? We talkin bout socks? We talkin about socks…

    I think Charlize Bucksh*t is wishing the thread was talkin about something else rhyming with socks. What a sick perverted jerk that Charlize is….

  • Evil Robot

    Way to stay on top of things. The NCAA rules on the Todd McNair appeal and you are leading with complaints about the color of the team’s socks. Aahhh, the pinnacle of professional journalism.

  • Trojan Conquest

    BBPep…….I totally disagree. USC is all about tradition. You would probably want the Yankees to dump their pinstripes.
    I Dig……..you forgot to add Notre Dame. BBPep would want SC to wear black against ND while the Irish wear dayglo green.
    It’s a “slippery slope”. I don’t really care about black socks, but what’s next?
    And just adding a black jersey (like the lame one they had a couple of years ago that they never wore) does nothing. If you’re going to do it (which I strongly oppose), then do like ASU and totally commit with a new helmet, pants, and jersey.

  • Cafe 84 Pizza

    Thanks for the tip, Robot. I guess I’ll be heading off to some other website to find that non-sock story.

    When Scott says he’s the U.S.C. beat reporter, he means he covers the Unimportant Socks Controversies.

  • uscmike

    The socks should stay white. No black jerseys or player’s names. Tradition counts for something.

    But Evil Robot is correct: Where is Scott’s post on the NCAA’s denial of the McNair appeal. McNair got screwed. Wasn’t this a 2 minute conversation that was long after Bush’s last game? Wasn’t it because Lake wanted to be included in the evaluation that Bush was going to receive the following day as to whether to turn pro?

  • BBPeps13

    TC … I agree that the just wearing black jerseys would look horrible, as the Tennessee ones look a few posts below, so IF they do ever wear black jerseys they should change the other stuff but I doubt they would ever wear black jerseys anyways.
    Like I said I get the tradition angle, but I think that it applies to the names on the back of the jersey and bigger things like that, I mean we are talking about sock colors, and personally I like black.

  • Cheatthesystem

    With the black cleats, the black socks actually look cleaner. I care about tradition, probably more than the next guy, but when Julie’s gets torn down, Tradi’s gets closed down, the students get moved over, the Spellout gets s-l-o-w-e-d down…what does the university really care about tradition?

    Pete Carroll changed the unis, too and it wasn’t a big deal–people actually liked the retro look as opposed to the horrible 70′s stripes…kind of like the logo change…it has to update or it becomes caricature instead of character.

  • The Don Key

    The Donkey could care a Neuheisel’s derriere on the black socks issue right now. The Donkey wants to know if the NCAA decision on coach Mac is a preview of the pending appeal by his alma mater.

  • DFWTrojan

    I like the black socks. Some traditions need to evolve, as USC as a school and culture have evolved. Who gives a crap about the socks? Plus, the black socks look great.

  • rejn

    So sad that a coach has no confidence in his skills and abilities such that he needs to use trendy gimmicks to attract kids to come play for one of the most glamour football schools in the country. Like Wolf said, PC never had to use such ploys in recruiting. I wonder what Coach OOOOOOO has to say about this? Or, is he the ring leader with all this nonsense???

  • Trojan Conquest

    I agree that “black socks” is much to do about nothing.
    Cheat…….I agree I like the new uniforms better, but they are really the old uniforms. The newer interlocking SC logo is much better than the various old logos. In fact, I wouldn’t mind having that on the side of the helmet instead of a hard to identify Trojan head. In the sixties they had no logo. When watching the old games from the 90s, the logo had a few changes including a much larger and completely different Trojan head one year.

  • I DIg Go Go Girls

    I wish SC would dump the helmet logo, just go with the red helmet. ND has gone with green jerseys on occasion, that’s why I didn’t include them. The black socks make me think of old farts trolling the boardwalk in Florida, they look frggin stupid. And as you can see, SC no longer wears all black cleats. Black jerseys here we come !!

  • Fighton

    Besides the fact that they are just socks. This made me think of the hideous 80′s jersey’s and how UNtradiotional those were, but it also reminded me that Seau, a beloved Trojan, use to have black socks or black tape over his socks.

    See attached link for picture.

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/kristian_dyer/11/09/ian.seau/index.html

    Get over it. It is just socks.

  • BoscoH

    Black socks are a positive, especially if Kiffin made the team earn them. I look forward to buying some game worn black socks on ebay next year. Kidding. But wouldn’t that be the giant problem with black jerseys, and why Kiffin would never, could never go there? Way too much temptation.

    I would just like to say that all of these terrible ideas that we’re worrying about pale in comparison to those tear-away belly button jerseys of the early 1990s.

  • Tyler

    Couple things.

    1) We’re talking bout socks man, socks. This is nowhere near the top of the list of major changes made to the USC uniform. You’re acting like the helmet logo, midriff jersey’s and sleeve designs never happened.

    2) The tradition of USC football is in the largely consistent standard of play on the field over the years and the Rose Bowl wins and championships – NOT in the socks the players wear. Not once have I ever watched a USC retrospective and heard the color of the socks mentioned. Not once. (Keith Jackson: “Whoa Nelly! Check out those crisp white socks. Now that’s tradition.” Not once.)

    3) Scott you need to grow up. The extension of the socks change to Kiffin suddenly being out to change the color and design of the uniform is idiotic. (Also the “this is a slippery slope” argument is the worst argument mankind has ever created. If I have a drink at 18 it doesn’t mean I’ll be an alcoholic by 50. If I shoplift a candy bar at 6 it doesn’t mean I’ll be stealing cars by college. Don’t be an idiot. The things are not at all related.)
    This constant pot stirring just for dramatic effect is getting a bit old. You’re not working for the Daily Trojan. You’re a big boy now – write like one.

    4) Why are you covering this and not the McNair story? Oh wait, I already answered that in 4. Big boy journalism Scott – give it a shot. Your career may be salvageable yet. Oh, who am I kidding…

  • Gnossos

    Cheat, I’d kill for a Julies “Special Sandwich” & to see some drunk jump in the pool…………….

  • Trojan Rewind

    One thing…

    why are internet geeks like Tyler still posting on Scott’s blog if you hate it so much? Oh, who are we kidding….

  • Tyler

    Trojan Rewind,

    1. I wasn’t addressing you so why you feel the need to address me is something you should probably look into. You responding to my post is even sillier than me responding to Scott. Pot meet kettle.

    2. I never said I hated the blog. I just don’t appreciate Scott’s lazy journalism. I follow a lot of sites that cover USC football and most of them aren’t very good. Doesn’t mean I can’t call it like I see it on occasion.