The global spotlight is intensifying on Los Angeles as the city prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, promising a spectacle of athletic excellence in iconic venues. However, this grand international celebration may come at the cost of a deeply rooted local tradition, as the necessary preparations are set to disrupt a college football ritual that has endured for over a century.

According to @runamileaminute on Instagram, as a result of Olympic preparations, the University of Southern California football team would most likely be required to play its home games away from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2028, a first since 1923.

Putting up a huge temporary track above the stadium floor is necessary at the Coliseum because it will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field competitions, costing over $100 million. For the better part of the fall, the field will likely be inaccessible due to the construction.

With the Paralympic Games ending on August 27, 2028, and USC’s home opener on September 9, just thirteen days away, dismantling the massive structure and restoring a playable turf football field becomes an impossible ask. The potential displacement marks a significant break in history.

In their inaugural game in the newly-opened Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 6, 1923, the USC Trojans defeated Pomona College 23-7. It has been the unbroken home of the program for 102 years and counting, and it has been the birthplace of national champions and Heisman Trophy winners.

Because of the relocation, the team would be physically and spiritually separated from its home, where fans from all across Los Angeles have come to witness historic achievements. The Trojans will likely play their temporary home games in 2028 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. This is the current stadium of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers.

Even though the LA28 organizing committee and USC are still in the planning stages, USC has already announced that they are “working in lockstep” on the event’s logistics. The unique significance of the Coliseum in Olympic history is a motivating factor.

It will become the first stadium in history to host three Summer Olympics, adding to its 1932 and 1984 hosting credits. Well, with Team USA’s great lineup, all the excitement for the Los Angeles Olympics is well-deserved.

The LA Olympics look set to reaffirm America’s track dominance

Much of the domestic and worldwide enthusiasm around the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles is focused on the highly anticipated arrival of the United States’ star-studded track and field squad, which is expected to dominate the competition.

Despite the fact that the current schedule makes it nearly impossible, two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s quest to win an unprecedented 400m/400m hurdles double has become a significant storyline, and all eyes are on her.

Though her coach Bob Kersee expressed his frustration by saying, “She could do it. She’s proven she’s capable. Yeah, she’s capable of doing it. So why not give her the opportunity? We’re a sport fighting for attention. So why do you make this decision? This shows the weakness of our sport. We’ve got the stars but we don’t get any help from the top.”

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Similarly, Sha’Carri Richardson has made her intentions for the future quite apparent. “No, it’s never too soon to look forward to L.A. Olympics,” she stated emphatically in a recent interview. According to Richardson, the idea of representing Team USA in the US fills her with “a level of pride” and is a privilege that stands for “a country that is always gonna show up and show out.”

Similarly, the spotlight is intensely focused on Noah Lyles. The Paris 2024 100m gold medalist and dominant force in the 200m is already being touted as a central figure for the Los Angeles Games.

“I would say that LA is a perfect place for great races to happen and I’m very blessed to be able to have the Olympics show up in my lifetime on home soil,” he said. “I’m not going to let that opportunity go by without taking advantage of it and yes, the all-or-nothing mentality is something that I plan to continuously push forward.”

The Los Angeles Olympics are shaping up to be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the United States to shine, as athletes compete for the chance to rewrite their own legacies and catapult track and field to global prominence.