How College Football Has Changed My Life

USC Helenes
11m
3 min read

Written by Olivia Diaz, 2025 Director of Athletics

For the first seventeen years of my life, I was bleeding blue and gold as a Bruin. Weekends in the fall were spent packing up the family car full of foldable chairs, grilling supplies, and a football to throw around the Rose Bowl parking lot. The Pauley Pavilion was my favorite place to go see Joe and Josie, and eating Dede recce after basketball games with my dad was a tradition. To this day, I still have the 8-clap burned into my memory.

College sports, and specifically college football, have always held a very special place in my heart. Growing up, there weren't many ways for me to spend quality, 1-on-1 time with my dad. I quickly learned, however, that there was a vacant opening for his UCLA football plus 1. With a brother who hated sports and a mom who couldn't stand the heat of a mid-day game, when my dad started asking if I wanted to come to games with him, I couldn't say no.

While it took years for me to fully understand the plays and calls of football (and sometimes I still struggle), over time, I started really loving college football, especially the time it gave to my dad and me. The roar of the fans after a touchdown, the light shows during a night game, and the feeling of simply walking through the tunnel of a football stadium to see the field and fans all became a way of life. A way of life that meant so much to me, I started taking it into account when I was applying for college. A part of me will never forget going to the UCLA vs. USC game my senior year of high school (while still entirely a UCLA fan, gross, I know), and being sad because I had believed it would be my last ever UCLA-USC rivalry game.

While most people assume becoming a hardcore Trojan after spending so much time as a Bruin might be difficult, I've found it to be an effortless and smooth transition. From the moment I saw the cardinal red and gold confetti, I knew USC would become my new home. My most significant source of pride as a USC student comes from being in Helenes and serving as a host of the university. The amount of school pride I am constantly surrounded by in Helenes' settings makes it easy to be so excited about USC. And this love for USC resonated so hard that it encouraged me to run for Director of Athletics so I could help share my passion for USC football with the whole of Helenes.

Now that I am in my final season of college football and gatecall, I feel an overwhelming sense of sadness over what I will be leaving. Especially as the UCLA game approaches, a small part of me feels dread just thinking about how I'm growing out of this lifelong tradition. But with every closing chapter, a new one opens. As I finish up my time as Director of Athletics, I look back at my time at USC with the most tremendous amount of pride and love. So much love for a school that took me in and taught me new life long traditions and chants to burn into my head. A school that has brought me my closest friends. And a school that has helped me pursue my passions and lifelong dreams.

So while my dad and I are now rivals when it comes to the teams we support, I still find myself texting him every weekend to ask about how UCLA did. That text, however, is always followed by a backhanded diss about how much better USC is. And as we enter my last ever rivalry week, I plan to continue trash-talking and rage-baiting for as long as I can. See you on Saturday, Dad!!