Once again, I urge the University of Southern California’s athletic department to open their financial records. Or, maybe just consult Google? You could even ask an English professor on campus for clarity—anything would help.
For the second time in under two years, the USC Trojans are attempting to build excitement around their football program using a well-known piece of Greek literature, but they’ve overlooked a crucial detail. The Trojans lost, and not just a little.
Recently, with Christopher Nolan’s film “The Odyssey” making waves, USC football decided to jump on the hype. They released their own version of a promotional movie poster featuring the iconic Trojan helmet with the tagline, “Our adventure begins on August 29th.”
It’s visually appealing and undeniably dramatic. But there’s a slight issue here. “The Odyssey” tells the tale of Odysseus’ ten-year journey to return home after the Trojan War, a war that, let’s not forget, ended with the Greeks destroying Troy.
The Trojan Horse, often romanticized, is hardly the star of this story. By the time Homer’s narrative kicks off, the Greeks are packing up to head home, having defeated the Trojans and lost many of their greatest warriors.
Honestly, it’s perplexing that this seems to be the branding choice for USC. I get it—not everyone dives into classical literature. It’s not like most people dedicate their evenings to dissecting ancient Greek texts.
However, if you’re a major academic institution with a mascot that symbolizes the ancient city of Troy, you should probably have a general awareness of how that story played out.
At the very least, someone in the approval chain for social media posts should probably Google “Who won the Trojan War?” before hitting that “Post” button.
I could almost write off this oversight as a one-time blunder if USC hadn’t already made a similar mistake. Before the 2024 season, they put out a sleek hype video with players dramatically storming out of the Trojan Horse.
Sure, the visuals were striking. But, once again, it’s worth noting that the Greeks were hidden inside that horse, leading to the Trojans’ downfall when they unwittingly brought it into their city.
After being criticized for that error, USC is back to the same literary source, aligning it once again with another narrative about their own misfortunes.
What’s particularly interesting is the date USC picked to kick off this new “odyssey.”
The Trojans are set to start their 2026 season on August 29 against the San Jose State Spartans. So, nearly two years after using weapons that led to Troy’s destruction, they are promoting their season with a story centered on that very destruction, the climax being a battle against the ancient Greek armies.
Is it—dare I say—poetic?
Well, good luck, Trojans. Just maybe leave the suspicious Trojan Horse back in the parking lot.
