This might be the most pathetic action ever during the crosstown rivalry, but UCLA told USC before the game that the band and song girls would not be allowed in Pauley Pavilion for today’s game.
Talk about draining the atmosphere out of a historical rivalry.
UCLA said it wanted to sell the seats where the band sits and claimed there was no time during timeouts for the USC song girls to perform. In years past, the two cheerleading squads always alternated, so this is typical spin from paranoid administrators.
In return, UCLA said it would not bring its band or cheerleaders to the Galen Center. Great, a sterile, one-sided environment for the big local game.
With the schools 12 miles apart, it’s absurd not to have the bands at each game. No one I know ever remembers this before. Then again, fans remember the scoreboards at Pauley Pavilion in 1992 said, “U$C.”