USC Is Getting Roasted For Historically Inaccurate Hype Video

Everyone loves a good social media hype video. And USC Football put out a banger ahead of its 2024 season opener against No. 13 LSU on Sunday.

The video opens with an army of sword-wielding Trojans preparing to head into battle — their Trojan Horse is packed and stacked with the toughest fighters. Suddenly, the ancient Trojan Horse morphs into a modern cargo plane, and USC players leap out of the plane, through a torrential thunderstorm, and onto the field at a packed LA Memorial Coliseum.

Everything from the music to the editing and visual effects is top-tier.

Ohhhh, wait. This is awkward. The video editors must have skipped history class.

Legend has it that in the Trojan War, it was the Greeks — not the Trojans — who successfully used the Trojan Horse. In order to enter the city of Troy, the Greeks built the giant wooden horse, hid soldiers inside and gave it to the Trojans as a gift to the goddess Athena.

In the middle of the night, the soldiers snuck out of the horse and slaughtered the Trojans.

One might reasonably assume that an institute of higher learning — one whose chosen mascot is a Trojan — would have that story pretty well memorized by now. But one would be wrong.

And tolls on Twitter / X are having a field day pointing out the faux pas.

Maybe on the flight home, they can watch the 2004 historical drama Troy, starring Brad Pitt. For educational purposes, of course.