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The love of the game: a snapshot of USC club sports
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Content
THE LOVE OF THE GAME: A Snapshot of USC Club Sports
By: Anwar Stetson
A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree Master of Arts
SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM
December 2019
i
Contents
Figures ii.
Abstract iii.
Chapter 1: The Two Spirits: USC Club Ultimate 4
Chapter 2: USC Rugby: The Oldest Club Sport 12
Chapter 3: The Beautiful Game: USC Futsal 19
Conclusion: A Liminal Space 24
Bibliography 26
ii
Figures
1.1 Senior Wyatt Paul shows satisfaction ……………………………………………10
1.2 Senior David Sealand…………………………………………………………………11
2.1 USC Rugby huddles before its match with Long Beach State……………………18
3.1 Eight members of the USC Futsal team………………………………………….. 24
iii
Abstract
The University of Southern California has a century-old tradition of high-level collegiate
sports. As of September 2019, the 139-year-old institution has won 107 Division 1 NCAA team
championships, third-most in the nation. Why do athletes compete at this level? For some, it’s a
chance to go pro. For others, it’s an opportunity to get an education. But for athletes in club
sports, the players don't often have the chance to pursue pro careers or hear 80,000 fans
screaming their names in the Coliseum or Galen Center. Club sports, however, include athletes
that are far superior to those participating in intramural sports. The skill it takes to be a club sport
athlete is often just as difficult as trying out for a varsity sport. Like the recruited athletes, these
performers play hard. Not for the accolades, but for the love of the game.
USC has 45 clubs in a multitude of disciplines, from surfing to chess. All have various
levels of competition and structure with compelling storylines. While Ultimate, Futsal and
Rugby are not the most popular sports in the United States, they are on the rise and echo the
competitive spirit of Trojan athletics. The teams reflect the diverse USC student body with
players from different nations, races, ages and majors competing. Below is a snapshot of each of
those clubs--Ultimate, Futsal and Rugby--and how its members encompass a pure love of the
game.
4
I. THE TWO SPIRITS: USC CLUB ULTIMATE
What makes Ultimate so interesting? It's not about it being one of the only sports whose
name is an adjective. Rather, but it blurs the line between two spirits. Not only does it champion
its unique “spirit of the game” concept, but at its core it thrives in the spirit of competitiveness
that binds it in the meritocracy of all other sports.
The original game was developed by Columbia University students in 1968, and called
Ultimate Frisbee, though trademark issues led to the dropping off the latter portion of the name.
Collegiately, Ultimate grew in colleges enough to form divisions in 1984, and now has
championships and tournaments broadcast on large networks like ESPN.
The basic principle of Ultimate is like any other—to score more points than your
opponent. You throw the disc to your teammate and once they catch it they’re not allowed to run
with it. Instead, using one foot to pivot like a basketball player picking up their dribble.
“I’m actually not sure. I don’t think it has an actual name – it might be a goal,” said
David Sealand, trying to explain the official name for a score in Ultimate, achieved when a
player catches the disc in the end zone.
Sealand, a senior majoring in engineering, is what’s called a cutter who’s been on the
USC team for all four years.
“It depends on the tournament but normally there’ll be to 13 or 15 [points in a game],”
Sealand said.
Most games will be around 75 minutes long, and in most tournaments the club team plays
four games a day. With the grueling schedule, players have to maintain their utmost fitness and
embody an attitude of competitiveness and energy.
5
“It’s a lot more competitive than a lot of people realize,” said Wyatt Paul, a senior
handler. “It’s less popular than a lot of sports, but as far the athleticism required, I’d put it right
on par [with soccer and football].”
Paul, like Sealand, is an engineering major who has been on the team all four years of his
collegiate career.
“The spirit of the game thing is something I have mixed feelings about,” said Paul.
Ultimate is, and has always been, a self-officiated sport. Whether a player committed a foul or
had one committed against them, they are expected to call it fairly and accurately.
“It’s interesting since it’s a self-refereed game,” Sealand said. “There are no referees or
umpires that will make calls. In some of the bigger games there will be observers where you can
go to them and ask them questions, but they are not going to make final calls unless you ask
them to.”
USC’s roster is composed mostly of Viterbi students, and some, like Paul and Sealand,
had little competitive experience with Ultimate before signing up. A few, however, have risen
through the ranks throughout the years to rise as high as Team USA’s under-24 team. Ultimate is
far from a nice Frisbee outing at the park with friends. It reaches the pinnacle of competition.
“It gets just as heated as any other sport,” Paul said. “Especially the bigger tournaments.”
In the most competitive games, Paul added, “When making a call where you’re not sure whether
it’s the right call or not, will benefit you.”
However, despite how competitive it is, Paul thinks that the spirit of the game isn’t an
antithesis to competitiveness.
“It’s just about respecting the game, respecting your opponent, being a good sport, and
part of that is trying your best to win," he said. "So, I don’t think you should let the idea of spirit
6
of the game fool you into thinking that it’s just a relaxed way to spend time with people. It’s just
as intense.”
The men's Ultimate team gets the late-night slot on Cromwell Field, usually after sports
such as club rugby from 10 p.m. to midnight. The club is split into A and B teams.
“This is actually the first year we’ve had an actual B team,” Sealand said. “For the A team
there’s a try-out in October that lasts a few weeks. There are no cuts for the B team, anyone can
join.”
They practiced all together on a cool Thursday night at Cromwell, but the players on the
B team played an exhibition match against themselves to end the evening. The bright stadium
lights weren’t overbearing, but rather comforting. They made the discs glare ever so slightly as
they glided through the air, cutting through the wind gently but meticulously. A good flick of
the wrist can send an Ultimate disc upwards of 80 to 90 yards.
Paul’s favorite play is the “huck,” or deep throw.
“You have two main positions,” Paul explains, “your cutters and your handlers.”
Sealand is a cutter, but he prefers to play defense. He says that the main defensive strategy in
Ultimate is creating a “force,” where players will force the opposition to throw on only one side
of the field.
Cutters are like wide receivers in football. They’re running routes downfield to try to get
open and catch that illustrious disc. Handlers, on the other hand, are like quarterbacks, except
instead of a perfect spiral, their wrists flick laterally to give the disc a precise yet smooth journey
through the air and into the hands of the cutter.
7
“We have a chance to go to nationals,” Sealand said, adding that there are 10 rookies on
the team this year with varying levels of Ultimate experience.
As the spirits of Ultimate push the sport forward, they have served as an important catalyst for
breaking glass ceilings in sports as a whole.
“There are gender gaps within the sport,” Sealand said, “and we’re trying to close them.
There is both a men’s and women’s Club Ultimate team at USC, and tournaments often have
room for a third “mixed” competition for co-ed teams, on top of having a men’s and women’s
division.
Though the mixed division hasn’t gained as much popularity at the competitive college
level, Sealand believes it’s necessary to bridge that gap in order to bring the sport forward.
“It’s important we recognize our roles as Ultimate players, and as we go out and graduate, we’re
going to be put in situations where it is co-ed, and we’re going to be ambassadors for the sport I
hope.”
USC Men's Ultimate has come a long way – as Paul can attest, reminiscing on a
conversation he had freshman year: “I was in a car with one of the captains and on our way to
what was my first tournament,” Paul said. “I asked him if we had a chance to make it to the
national championship, and he used the phrase ‘objectively impossible.’ And the very next year
we were in the game to make it to the national championship.”
USC hasn’t won a national championship, but it has been to the semifinals twice in the
past four years. It plays in the Southwest region with other traditional Pac-12 and other West
Coast schools like Stanford, Cal and UCLA. And although sanctioned tournaments don’t begin
until spring, the team will hope to balance the spirit of the game, and the spirit of competition
together if they want that illustrious title.
8
---
President’s Day weekend was a particularly energetic weekend for USC Men's Ultimate. On
February 15, 2019, four months after the beginning of practices, the team made the trek down to
San Diego, playing an energy-packed tournament against universities that came all over the West
Coast for a shot at Ultimate glory. Meeting at Mira Mesa High School, the infectious Ultimate
atmosphere engulfed everyone on the field.
The beginning of the weekend marked all "W's" for the Trojans, going undefeated in the
initial stages in the "pool play" aspect of the competition in which the 16 overall teams were
divided into four divisions. The top two teams in each division became a part of the
"championship" bracket. The Trojans quarter-finals match was a 8-6 Sunday victory over
Colorado University, granting USC a spot in the semi-finals against Oregon the next day.
USC’s team wore white and red uniforms with their nickname “Lockdown” written across the
front. Every squad has its own quirks and traditions. The team’s first matchup of the day was
against Oregon a team that doesn’t don the school’s traditional green and yellow, but instead has
its members dress entirely in their favorite NBA jerseys. In a wide-open matchup, the discs were
flying fast--upwards of 80 yards per toss--and after every score, was a “kickoff”, where a player
flings the disc downfield to the other team. Lockdown’s bench mimicked the famous battle cry
of Conquest, echoing the high-pitched ferocity of the trumpets in the Trojan band as they raise
their fingers signaling to “Fight On!”
--
The misty fog rolled in from San Diego Bay onto the Mira Mesa High football field on a
very chilly, 50-degree morning, but each of the athletes and fans that traveled radiated a
powerful energy that kept every player warm. The four Pac-12 teams split the field in half,
9
playing vertically down the bright green field turf. The jersey-clad Oregon "Ego" and the white,
cardinal and gold Lockdown played a competitive match, filled with scoring from both sides. In
orange, two of the aforementioned observers were on-hand to spectate the game, and multiple
times were called to mediate between particularly controversial plays, though both teams played
with a level of competitive respect that embodied the spirit of Ultimate.
After a difficult defeat to Oregon, USC had a chance at redemption in the third-place
game against Cal. This time they donned black jerseys and had a number of crucial defensive
stops and offensive scores to win decisively. At this point, it was nearing 10:30 in the morning,
and the cool breeze was gone, replaced by a beaming Southern California sun. The team was
beaming, too, proud of its third-place finish and undefeated run in pool play. Lockdown cheered
the victors of the tournament, Cal Poly SLO, and huddled together, giddy with excitement and
overjoyed to head back to Los Angeles to continue its season.
10
Figure 1.1. Senior Wyatt Paul shows satisfaction in an interview after a third-place finish at the
President's day Pac-12 tournament by defeating the Cal Golden Bears.
Figure 1.2 Senior David Sealand (right), and an Oregon player (left), discuss a call with an
observer during a Pac-12 match as Paul (foreground) looks on. Ultimate is self-refereed at all
levels of the sport, but official observers can be consulted on close calls at major tournaments.
11
WATCH: USC Ultimate Club's Pac-12 Tournament
Performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=101&v=uHSe6oF0_U0
12
II. RUGBY: THE OLDEST CLUB SPORT
USC’s oldest club sports team had practice on a cool night at Cromwell Field on campus,
just like it had 130 years ago. USC club Rugby, which was founded in 1886, predates every club
sport at the university, and even football. The team practices during the fall semester but doesn’t
begin competitive play until January. However, that doesn’t stop the intensity. “It’s got the
contact, it’s got the physicality” said Michael Cesar, the senior captain beginning his fourth year
on the team, “we’re not wearing any pads...and it’s also nonstop.” Rugby is a sport broken up
into two 40-minute halves, and within those halves there’s little room for whistles. Unlike in
football, when a Rugby player is tackled, the ball is still live, and it’s up to the offense to “ruck”
the ball back to the scrum half, the position Cesar plays.
Cesar explains rucking, which is like a small version of a “scrum” that most Americans
might know about Rugby. “...whenever you take the contact you’ve got to go to ground, present
the ball back to make sure that you keep possession, and then get the ball away as quickly as
possible.” He describes his position of scrumhalf as similar to the quarterback position--taking
the ball out of the ruck and passing it backwards to start an offensive sequence. There’s no Tom
Brady in the sport, because all passes have to be backward or lateral--making the sequences in
rugby look like more refined versions of the 1982 Stanford-Cal game where the band came on
the field.
The roots in American football come from Rugby, and though the sports are vastly
different, in the end they have similar goals. A try--the sport’s version of a touchdown--is worth
five points and is achieved when a player crosses the try line (end zone). The difference is that in
order to score, a player must touch the ball down in past the try line, the play doesn’t end until
13
then. A conversion in Rugby is worth two points, and a team can also kick a drop-goal or penalty
goal for three points.
Rugby itself has a history even longer than its time on the USC campus. Legend has it
that the sport began in 1823, when William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it during
a soccer match at the Rugby school in England. Though some have disputed that claim, Webb
Ellis is seen as the founder of the sport, and the winners of the Rugby World Cup win the Webb
Ellis Trophy.
Though the sport originated in England, the All-Blacks of New Zealand have lifted the
Webb Ellis Trophy the most out of any country. Beginning in 1987, the small southern
hemisphere nation has won three of the eight tournaments that have been held. They’ve also
boasted some of the greatest players of all time, including Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, and the
late, great, 265-pound behemoth Jonah Lomu. The All-Blacks, named so for the color of their
uniforms, are renowned around the world for their famous haka, a ceremonial warrior’s dance
celebrated in Polynesian culture that the All-Blacks and other teams around the South Pacific
perform before every match.
Even though Rugby is much more well-known around the world than it is in the United
States, the game is making strides to gain ground in America. Major League Rugby, known as
MLR, is the second attempt at a professional league, and completed its inaugural season on July
7th.
Cesar is from London and brought his love of the game to USC, where he decided to attend
after a visit to Los Angeles during his gap year. Having been on the team for four years, he’s been
around the western U.S., his favorite trips include flying to Utah to play the Utes, and a
competition in Las Vegas--where the club played a sevens tournament.
14
Sevens is one of the three codes of Rugby, the others being Union, the most popular and
common code, and League--a version with alternate rules that’s popular in Australia. League and
Union Rugby are similar but have some minor rules differences--much like the differences
between college football and the NFL. Sevens, which the club team plays in the fall, is a fast-
paced, 14-minute version of Rugby. Instead of the regular 15 players, there are only seven per
team, and it tests speed, endurance, and mettle. It was even included as a sport in the 2016 Rio
Summer Olympics.
Rugby practice runs from 6pm to 8pm, three times per week. “This is Rugby, you’re
going to get hit!” a coach yelled, his voice echoing through Cromwell as the sun set on a
Wednesday evening. The team practiced general fitness, rucking, and passing. Then they
finished with an exhibition match. Without pads, all anyone can hear from a tackle is the hard,
smacking contact between flesh, and it becomes apparent that this club isn’t for the faint of heart.
Because of the contact and intensity, teammates form bonds rather quickly. It isn’t rare to see a
player congratulate his teammate after getting pummeled by him.
“...You can’t be lazy in this sport.” Cesar said, “You have to work for your team, you have
to stick together, you have to play for each other, otherwise, you’re just going to lose.”
After two hours, the only light left on Cromwell are the piercing stadium lights. There’s not a
player on the field who doesn’t have dirt on their practice shirts. As the team prepares to end,
some of the players practice punting the balls sky high into the air. The ball, a chunkier version
of a football, feels like it was made for kicking as it pierces through the cool air.
The team huddles together, shoulder to shoulder, huffing and puffing as Cesar speaks to
the team, praising effort. They also discussed paying dues--a large part of participating in club
15
sports like USC rugby. After a few more words, each player took a fist and placed it in the
middle of the huddle, “Trojans on me Trojans on three!” a player cried, “One, two, three…”
“Trojans!” the team yelled in unison.
The usual calm and collected Cesar had eyes that were wide with excitement when
talking about his love for the game. “I got into rugby because I loved it,” he said. “I thought it
was the most intense team sport you can do.”
--
After a tough start to the 15s season, USC rugby went down to Veterans Stadium in Long
Beach to face off against the Long Beach State 49ers, where the team prepared to get its first win
of the season. The Feb. 15 matchup featured the Trojans return to the city of Angels after a 32-3
loss at the University of San Diego. On a windy winter day in Long Beach, the fans and
supporters huddled close together some with blankets, to combat the wind chill as it blew by the
afternoon sun. The Trojans, dressed in the signature cardinal and gold, faced the 49ers without an
inkling of fear in their hearts, despite the brown and gold side towering over them in both
physical stature and overall status as one of the winningest rugby programs on the West Coast.
The fundamentals of rugby were on full display, from kicking, scrums, lineouts and other
feats of extreme athleticism. Each of the players in rugby has a role to play in tackling, handling
the ball, and playing offense and defense, and the Trojans fought hard to utilize each of their
players to their full potential. After a difficult half of play, however, the Trojans found
themselves down by three tries. But captain Michael Cesar wasn’t willing to let his teammates
give up that easily. In an intense speech, the senior captain rallied his troops in inspiring fashion.
16
Though not the largest player on the field in physical stature, Cesar's heart in commanding his
team rivaled the commanding force of a Jonah Lomu run to the try line.
Despite Cesar's strong words, Long Beach State overpowered the Trojans, who started the
season winless. After the match, reserve players on both sides gathered to play a 7's match, and
the two teams shook hands. The USC contingent was small but passionate, with everyone from
coaches, players and even a team statistician present to keep the fighting spirit alive for all 80
minutes.
From watching the match, it is clear to see that the young men of USC Rugby don't enjoy
the game in spite of the bumps, bruises and pain, but rather because of them. The strength that
comes from the warrior-like mentality bonds the team together and makes Rugby a challenging
and rewarding sport.
17
18
Figure 2.1 USC Rugby huddles before its match with Long Beach State.
WATCH BELOW: USC Meets Long Beach State.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPWRbcNrauY
19
III. THE BEAUTIFUL GAME: USC FUTSAL
The Physical Education building at USC is 88 years old, and I could feel every bit of
those 88 years in the thick, dusty air, and creaky-wooden floor tiles as I made my way to the
second floor to cover USC futsal tryouts. I made my way down a hall to two doors that opened to
a large basketball court where students were packing up after a dance class. I was a few minutes
early, I guess.
After the gym had emptied out, I stepped inside, and my bones nearly ached at the
staleness of the air and lack of A/C. I turned around to see two young students trying to fit a
goalpost through the doors and onto the court. The young man who came in first was short with a
stocky build, with an expression on his face that mixed timidity with excitement, and humility
with swagger. Another player who comes in tells me that’s Evan, the club president.
Evan Vivanco is a Senior majoring in Economics and Math. Growing up in Panorama
City, California, he was exposed to the regular diet of American sports like football and
basketball. But perhaps by fate, or through his Argentinian heritage, soccer called to him.
“I did play soccer at the youth level, all the way up until thirteen. That is one of the decisions I
do regret in my life. Because I could’ve been so much better if I had just taken it through all the
way until now.”
Vivanco, admitting his grades in high school weren’t the best, spent a year grinding in
community college before he was accepted to USC. That’s when the beautiful game called to
him again.
20
“I actually took a Futsal class. It’s a one-unit P.E. class you can take here,” he said.
He had zero experience with Futsal, adding that his only motivation for taking the class was to
“stay in shape”.
“One of the people there was on the club team,” Vivanco continued. “I was just playing
goalkeeper whenever I felt like it in class-time because it got me more playing time. I guess I
was good enough for this guy on the club team to invite me to some of the closed private
practices… [playing futsal] was one of the best decisions I ever made”.
After two semesters on the club, Vivanco was approached by the graduating president to replace
him as president for the upcoming season: “I never thought in a million years I’d be the president
of a club sport, for one thing, but for another, a spin-off of the most popular sport in the world.”
The tryouts lasted two hours. They started with a quick warm-up consisting of stretching
and passing the ball around in a circle. Afterwards, each of the fourteen students were placed in
two teams of five, with two substitutes each. With each violent kick of the ball the air got hotter,
and the players got sweatier. Vivanco played goalkeeper, but also helped with the club treasurer
to critique the players and put in subs. By 10:00, the tryouts were over, and the students all had
wet shirts and red faces.
Vivanco was the last player in the gym, after helping to take the goalposts out the same
way he had taken them in.
This was the last tryouts, and the first game was only a couple weeks away. He was
optimistic about the team, he just hoped that there would be enough players for a full squad. “We
practice right here in the South gym, every Monday and Wednesday at 8pm.”
21
---
It was a glitz and glamorous Thursday night for L.A. sports, much like most nights in this
city. The Los Angeles Rams scored a huge win in the Coliseum against the tough Minnesota
Vikings, and every touchdown in their 40-plus-point effort drew percussive fireworks and elated
howls from the announcer that could be heard from miles around the University Park
neighborhood.
Later that night, I sat in the sardine can of cars lining the South L.A. streets outside the
Coliseum with Stark Mingchen, an attacking player for USC Futsal. Stark is a transfer student
from UC Santa Cruz by way of China. We bonded over soccer, particularly last year’s World
Cup, and his love of soccer, and futsal, echoed the sentiments of the club itself. He didn’t play
for the glamor, or the glory. But for the love of the game.
Following the roofless Jeep ahead of us carrying Evan and the rest of the team, we spent 30
minutes in traffic before breaking free down the 110 freeway to the LA Galaxy Soccer Center in
Torrance, California. I sped down the freeway. Game time was at 9:00pm sharp. It was 8:50.
What? Is the first word that usually comes to mind when most people on campus when I
mention Futsal to them. The sport is a 5-a-side indoor version of soccer that originated and grew
in popularity around South America during the early part of the 20th century. According to the
official site of USA Futsal, the name originated as an amalgamation of “Futbol”--the spanish
term for soccer--and “salon”, which roughly translates to “indoor”. The first official futsal
federation, Asociación Mundial de Futsal, was founded in 1971, and, much like contemporary
soccer, Futsal also has its own world cup. Brazil, Argentina, and Spain have won every rendition
since the first world cup was held in 1989.
22
The LA Galaxy soccer center was an arena of organized chaos. Futsal balls crashed violently on
each of the eight courts lined horizontally next to each other. Having dropped Stark off right at
9pm, I parked and frantically made my way through the arena, trying to find the team.
I found them five rows deep, huddled together, and decked out in the famous cardinal and gold
for their first game of the season. We weren’t at the Coliseum, and they weren’t playing for the
Rose Bowl. There wasn’t an array of cheerleaders, or a marching band to cheer them on, but
despite that, I saw the passion in the eyes of every member of the club as if there were 90,000
screaming fans crowded behind them.
The skill-level required to play Futsal is reminiscent of trying to turn a Picasso painting
into a Renaissance sculpture. Futsal courts leave so little room for error that every player, from
the goalkeeper to the forwards, need to be perfectly in sync, allowing for the perfect pairing of
panache artistry and individual technical skills. However, the masterpiece can never be complete
without succinct tactics and extraordinary teamwork.
Nelson Lap Chung started in goal for the club. Vivanco sat back and decided to play more
of a coaches’ role. Communication was key for the club, and whether in the state-of-the-art soccer
center, or the ancient P.E. building the concussive force of the ball bounced just as heavily on the
court as it did on the echoes of the battling Trojans.
After a tough first half, USC Futsal pulled away for a two-goal victory. Vivanco praised
the efforts of his team. “I’m pretty proud of everyone. It was Nelson who was the goalkeeper
most of the game. It was me on the sidelines just making sure everyone knows there
surroundings, what they need to do, where they need to be, and it all worked out in the end.”
23
The team walked out with their heads held high. One of the players was picked up, so
there was an extra space for Stark in the Jeep on the way back. So we went our separate ways,
and I watched them speed off the roofless Jeep. They didn’t need A/C in the crisp night air in
Torrance, California.
WATCH USC FUTSAL’S JOURNEY TO TORRANCE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lULKaXtLzyg
Figure 3.1 Eight members of the USC Futsal team (three not pictured) hitch a ride in a 5-
seater SUV with this author (front right) to the LA Galaxy Soccer Center for a match on Nov. 8,
2018. Due to transportation constraints, USC Futsal forfeited multiple games in the 2018 season.
24
CONCLUSION: A LIMINAL SPACE
USC Men's Club Ultimate finished the season at the end of April, taking part in the Div.
1 Southwest Regional in San Luis Obispo, Calif., as a #2 seed. They were defeated by Cal, 14-
13, finishing third---one spot away from going to the National Championship Tournament.
After four consecutive losses, USC Men's Rugby won their first match March 7 against Loyola
Marymount, but they had a chance to compete for the Division 1-AA title in a rematch against
Long Beach--as they were the only two teams in the division. USC lost a 55-12 match, but had a
chance to compete in a seven's tournament in May in Tucson, Ariz. There they finished 13th,
which was good enough to win a shield trophy, by beating Utah. Their goals for next year
include trying to establish an endowment for USC Rugby.
Club Futsal did not play spring semester, as club president Evan Vivanco told me, due to
a lack of participants. However, Vivanco stayed busy forming a "futnet" club. Futnet is a sport
that combines soccer and tennis, forcing players to kick the ball to opponents over a volleyball
net. Vivanco was recruiting players for that endeavor.
Throughout the year of covering club sports, the most clear and present commonality was
each team's competitive spirit and drive. Club sports occupy a liminal space in large colleges,
and while that poses challenges, it's also what makes club sports unique and exciting. All three
club sports welcomed the addition of written and visual media in order to increase exposure for
their club and their sport in general.
Club Ultimate yearned for someone to film their games, not only as a tool for
documentation, but to study and use that footage to get better, and I was happy to oblige. On
multiple occasions, club Futsal was without transportation, and I when I could, I stuffed eight
25
athletes into an SUV, and drove down the 405 South from the USC Campus to the Soccer Center
in Torrance. These challenges had all the makings of an "intramural" endeavor.
The level of commitment, practice, or in-game intensity, however, was at the level of
varsity sports. All three clubs had members pay some sort of dues in order to pay for tournament
appearances, jerseys and other miscellaneous expenses, while varsity athletes not only do not
have to pay for equipment--but generally have basic needs met through athletic scholarships.
Furthermore, varsity athletes all have unfettered access to multimillion-dollar facilities such as
the McKay Center and Galen Center, while club athletes are generally confined to the P.E.
building or Cromwell Field.
This is in no way meant to diminish or belittle the struggles of varsity athletes, nor does it
excuse the girth of research and conversation about the exploitative nature of the NCAA. Rather,
it shifts the conversation toward liminality, the tweeners who wanted to play college ball--despite
their sports not being highly publicized, or the fact that they will likely not go pro, and without
the benefit of a free education. Instead, these players play solely for the love of the game. None
of the players I spoke with had an attitude that they were struggling more than the average
student, but rather that almost everyone it seems, at a top institution such as USC, is involved in
some kind of extracurricular activity. And that club sports, if anything, serve as a complementary
piece to an effective resume. But from what I saw, club sports are a special endeavor, worthy of
being considered a hallmark of any university's campus-wide stable of activities, and worth
examining as a testament to the pure love that someone can have for competition, their
teammates and their sport.
26
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Cal vs. Stanford: The Play" . YouTube. Video File. July 28, 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nC55Kv2sKMI
Davies, Sean, "William Webb Ellis: Fact or Fiction?" Accessed December 8, 2018.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/6255164.stm
Danny Zapalec, "Since 1974*" Vimeo. Video File. https://vimeo.com/247543987
Interview with Cesar, Michael on August 30, 2018
Interview with Paul, Wyatt on October 13, 2018
Interview with Paul, Wyatt on February 18, 2019
Interview with Sealand, David on November 30, 2018
Interview with Vivanco, Evan on September 10, 2018.
Interview with Vivanco, Evan on October 12, 2018.
NCAA, "Championships Summary" . June 26, 2019. Accessed August 15,
2019.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf
New Zealand Government "Webb Ellis Cup" Accessed December 8, 2018.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/web-ellis-cup
Olympic Channel, "Fiji v Team GB- Men's Rugby Sevens Gold Medal Match| Rio 2016
Olympic Games". Youtube. Video File. August 21, 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbjBodEddw
Pro Football Hall of Fame, "Birth of Pro Football" Accessed December 8, 2018.
https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/birth-of-pro-football/
Real Rugby,"Jonah Lomu- The Ultimate Rugby Player". Youtube. Video File. July 30,
2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNSqB3WiLFw
Stetson, Anwar. “Photo of USC Futsal Team.” November 8, 2018
U.S. Futsal, "History of Futsal", Accessed October 12, 2018.
http://futsal.com/history-of-futsal/
27
Wikipedia, "Dan Carter". July 26, 2019. Accessed December 8, 2018.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Carter
Wikipedia, "Richie McCaw". July 10, 2019. Accessed December 8, 2018.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_McCaw
World Rugby, "The Greatest haka EVER?" Youtube. Video File. June 18, 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Stetson, Anwar Jose Gordon
(author)
Core Title
The love of the game: a snapshot of USC club sports
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Specialized Journalism
Publication Date
12/12/2019
Defense Date
12/11/2019
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Athletics,OAI-PMH Harvest,Recreation,Sports,student-athletes
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Fellenzer, Jeff (
committee chair
), Anawalt, Sasha (
committee member
), Turner, Myra (
committee member
)
Creator Email
anwar2299@msn.com,AStetson@usc.edu
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-250247
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UC11674944
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etd-StetsonAnw-8058.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-250247 (legacy record id)
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etd-StetsonAnw-8058.pdf
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250247
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Stetson, Anwar Jose Gordon
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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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Tags
student-athletes