Well it is safe to say that USC wants to cash in on the recent popularity of the Trojan football program. The LA Daily News had a story on July 7th about the university's plans to move the band over to the "Sun Deck" section of the Coliseum and away from their traditional perch in the prime seating section behind the USC bench. (HT to the Wiz for his spotting this).
This move in and of itself is really no big deal. The school has a right to make whatever revenues it sees fit in regards to selling season tickets. If that happens to be in the premium seating area than so be it.
The problem comes when the reason given is under the guise of "acoustics" . Now I will admit that at many of the games that I have attended over the years it was a bit difficult to here the band, but I never went to the games to here the band. Wouldn't it be easier to just come out and say we are moving the band in order to take advantage of the popularity of the program by offering these seats to those alum's or fans who are willing to pay for those seats?
These guys could tell you about the acoustics at the Coliseum- There aren't any!
There is no doubt that SC football is a cash cow for the university and I have no problem if they want to cash in. But this ham handed attempt to claim acoustics as the reason just seems cheap and cheesy. The Spirit of Troy will always be world-renowned and is one of the most recognized marching bands in the world so it's not like they are going to be banished to playing at Exposition Park. Couple this with the recent lawsuits regarding the naming rights to Traveler, the teams mascot for 39 years, and you have a university that is more concerned about dollars than its image. This situation is actually not dissimilar to recent Texas A & M lawsuit with the Seattle Seahawks of the use of the term "12th Man".
Universities make decisions that are not always popular and they will end up being scrutinized if they aren't on the up and up. This is one of those times. The only people being hurt here is the band. The school can sell the seats and make their money and no one will really care, but if they can't come clean as to the reason then it just makes the situation worse. I certainly don't think that this is end of the world. It is embarrassing that the school can't be more honest in its intentions, but it is also no reason to hang your head for being a Trojan as some would want to make you believe.