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| I am a faggot by David Chung 03/17/2006, 12:09am PST | ||||
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| Onepeat billboard fails to enlighten anyone
David Chung Issue date: 2/27/06 Section: Opinions PrintEmailArticle ToolsPage 1 of 1 Media Credit: Genevieve Santos | Daily Trojan Last week, onepeat.com and the financial support from people around the country achieved their dream of posting a billboard in an attempt to take away from our football team's recent success. In case you can't head out to Figueroa and 39th streets to see this Microsoft Paint-inspired masterpiece, it reads "Shouldn't dynasties win more than one? LSU '03 USC '04 Texas '05" - an attempt to make a mockery of this year's "three-Pete" hype and last year's "back-to-back" themes. After spending three years as a student manager for our football team, I got to know more about our program than most diehard fans. I cannot say that I did not shed a few tears as I walked off a national championship football stage for what was likely the last time in my life. Even after the season, as a contributing writer and message board poster on a popular USC football Web site, I've been able to keep up with the program. Aside from our own players, if there was anyone who should be worked up from this billboard, I should be. After seeing the billboard, located across from the Coliseum behind an elevated, oversized bucket of Colonel Sanders, I had a few thoughts. "Some people have a lot of time on their hands." "Some people could afford to rethink their priorities." "Some people need to purchase the full version of Photoshop before they waste $5,000 of other people's money because this could be the worst looking billboard I've ever seen." "KFC still sells the Snacker for $.99, and it's delicious." So far, onepeat.com has collected $11,625.25 for this billboard and a mobile billboard truck that will drive around ESPN headquarters. But why would anyone ever spend money to do this? "Simply to set the record straight," said the Web site's creator. Fantastic. Simultaneously, this billboard illustrates the fact that a lot of sports fans are huge dorks. Clearly, the point of the billboard was to send USC fans into a frenzy. The Web site creators are so proud of the billboard's location "1,500 feet from the USC campus," even though it's actually further from campus than the off-campus Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for most students. Did they expect a riot? I was at Notre Dame, where I saw half of our fans didn't even stand up when Matt Leinart and Dwayne Jarrett converted the most famous fourth down of 2005. As Yoda would say, "Riot … we will not." I think almost all of us, even those of us with no marketing experience, can think of at least 10 better places and ways to "set the record straight" other than using an English billboard located behind a sub-par KFC in a primarily Spanish-speaking area of South Los Angeles. USC students don't even go to that KFC, nor do we enter the 110 Freeway going in that direction. I had to turn into the Coliseum and make a U-turn to head back to campus just to have my record set straight. Enlightened? Almost. Coincidentally, the day before seeing the sign, I had the pleasure of hearing one of Earthlink's directors come and speak at one of Intervarsity's weekly senior class gatherings. While we listened to his perspectives on managing money after college, he revealed that while his household income exceeds $200,000 a year, he and his wife live at the middle-class level of $36,000 per year - putting the rest of their money back into the Pomona community, nonprofit organizations and their local church. This was in stark contrast to finding out the next day that a Web site that received more than $11,000 in donations - an incredible feat and impressive use of viral marketing, only has intentions of donating $2,625 to Hurricane Katrina relief. In comparison, the Web site will spend $3,950 on a mobile billboard that will circle ESPN headquarters on March 2. Does ESPN really care that much that some jamokes didn't enjoy the out of control Rose Bowl hype on this year's USC team? I highly doubt it. While this billboard will likely only be up for a month, perhaps more considering its low visibility location, I wonder what this month or more is really worth to those who funded the project. Just to take one example, with the $11,625.25 donated to this "worthy" cause, 40 children in need could have been sponsored through the Christian Children's Fund - an organization that provides education, food, water, health care, day care and community development through donations - not for a month, but for a year. I'll admit that the project was ambitious and I applaud the fact that the billboard's creators were able to manage the logistics of getting such a project completed using other people's money. Sports almanacs, however, aren't going to change, and championship rings are not going to be reissued as a result of a billboard that visually looks like someone tattooed the side of a triceratops that wanted to visit KFC's Flavor Station. I wonder if there was not enough information or if the economy was just too good for those who supported the Web site. I find it hard to believe that people could not find a better cause to donate their money to than a billboard that gave a diehard USC fan a little laugh and a couple camera phone pictures to e-mail out on a beautiful, Southern California day. Did the Red Cross say they didn't want your money? Did the United Way decide that it had enough? Did your local Boys and Girls club say that it had enough basketballs and didn't want your help? It's embarrassing. Instead of being disgusted at the sign's message, which I honestly believe is pretty funny for its "What the hell?" factor, I am disgusted at the money that was wasted by real people on a cause that is having next to no effect on anything. Sports are a fun way to unite our school and our campus, but I hope that our fans never get so obsessed or overwhelmed with jealousy that we lose sight of issues that really matter in the world today. Instead of the billboard's intended goal, perhaps we could all learn a lesson from this ridiculous act of wasteful spending. Many of us have been blessed with comfortable lives and disposable income. Perhaps the next time we think to overspend needlessly, we can remember that there are countless numbers of productive causes that could benefit from our donations that could come as a result of thoughtful, conservative spending. And yes, dynasties should win more than one, but more importantly, jealousy is a terrible and in this case, incredibly wasteful quality that the Web site's supporters were victims of in showing the depths of their character through their embarrassing donations toward a pointless cause. David Chung's column, "Thoughts from the Shower," runs Mondays. To comment on this article, e-mail dtrojan@usc.edu or call (213) 740-5665. |
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I am a faggot by 03/17/2006, 12:09am PST  "As Yoda would say..." NT by 03/17/2006, 7:32am PST You mean "fuck, holy" (mmm yes) NT by 03/17/2006, 8:08am PST |
