USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 is a climate outrage too

Letters to the Editor: USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 is a climate outrage too

The UCLA and USC football teams square off at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 2019.

July 2, 2022 3 AM PT

To the editor: In a world of climate change, the very worst message that any university dedicated to science and research can send is to have its athletic teams join a conference thousands of miles away where every road trip will require hours in airplanes. (“USC and UCLA rock college sports by leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten,” June 30)

This contradicts what science says about our world. We have to cut back on fossil fuels in order to avoid catastrophic increases in global temperature. USC’s and UCLA’s move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten Conference will make it worse for no reason other than to vacuum up more cash for TV deals.

What needs to be done — and this applies to professional sports teams as well — is to play more games closer to home. Sports teams rearranged their schedules to deal with the coronavirus. That should serve as a guidepost to the future. Instead, we are back to encouraging more airline travel, and more burning of jet fuel.

UCLA and USC should be ashamed of their money grab. As a UCLA alumnus, I’m 100% out. This is wrong. We’re on the road to death, and I mean that.

Edgar Kaskla, Garden Grove

To the editor: Shock and dismay are words that describe my reaction to USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 for greener pastures in the Midwest. This is a move about greed, and both schools have no one to blame but themselves for reduced revenue.

I am also perplexed as to why Stanford (one of the best private universities in the world) and UC Berkeley (one of the best public universities) were evidently not part of the discussion. Stanford has more NCAA national championships than USC or UCLA.

Is it that both schools are much smarter than USC and UCLA in evaluating a move to the Big Ten?

Johnathan Colin, Redondo Beach

To the editor: The selfish decision by UCLA and USC to take almost all of their athletic programs out of the Pac-12 is deplorable. These schools are part of the fabric of Southern California and have been for essentially a century.

USC is a private institution, but UCLA is publicly funded, with my tax dollars. I request the state deny funding for athletic events at UCLA. Let the Big Ten fund them. And, USC alumni should tell the Trojans to take their horse with them to the Midwest.

The annual UCLA-USC football game? Play it in Chicago.

Bruce N. Miller, Playa del Rey