Our new USC newsletter goes behind-the-scenes as Trojans move to Big Ten

Good morning. It’s Monday, Sept. 16. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

Introducing The Times of Troy

I’m Iliana Limón Romero, assistant managing editor for Sports, and I have some exciting news for USC fans.

But first let me tell you a little about Ryan Kartje. The Times’ USC sports beat reporter is curious about everything and very good at encouraging people to talk with him.

Our most interesting conversations often begin with the words, “I got a tip.”

Ryan brings his editors a lot of interesting tips. Some lead to high-profile investigations, and others simply enhance our daily coverage of USC sports.

One of Ryan’s tips led to his story on internal criticism of Mike Bohn’s management of the university’s athletic department. The day after Ryan sent Bohn a list of questions for the article, the USC athletic director resigned.

How surprised was I with this outcome? We thought Bohn would take days to respond to questions, so I never considered rescheduling jury duty, and Ryan planned to attend a concert with friends.

It’s time for us to share more of these behind-the-scenes details and well-informed analyses of USC sports with our readers.

I’m proud to announce we’re launching The Times of Troy, an L.A. Times newsletter chronicling USC sports. If you sign up at latimes.com/newsletters, the free newsletter will be delivered to your inbox every Monday.

Why are we launching this now?

Our readers frequently share their opinions about USC, and we know the stakes couldn’t be higher for the athletics program as it joins the Big Ten Conference in most sports this academic year.

Just how committed are USC fans?

When the Trojans hosted Utah State at 8 p.m. PDT, Ryan jokingly asked his followers on the social platform X how many of them on the East Coast would stay up for the football team’s presumed lopsided win. What followed was an impromptu roll call from around the country and some international locations as USC fans vowed to chug extra coffee to witness the home opener.

These same readers have responded to our staff’s expansive coverage of all things USC. They’ve been especially engaged when Ryan reported on the toxic culture within the USC Song Girls program, complaints raised by members of the USC baseball team and questions raised about Bohn’s behavior.

The newsletter will feature looks at a variety of USC sports, including its women’s basketball program, which has become a national power, but the nationally ranked football program is the focus of today’s debut newsletter.

Ryan grew up in Michigan and attended the University of Michigan. He knows the Big Ten well, and today’s The Times of Troy serves as a guide for USC fans as the Trojans prepare to play their first Big Ten game against Michigan in one of college football’s most hostile venues. It’s known as the Big House because it seats 107,601 rowdy fans, making it the largest stadium in the U.S.

Along with the behind-the-scenes moments, breaking news and analysis, Ryan is committed to answering reader questions in every newsletter. You can send your USC questions to ryan.kartje@latimes.com.

Don’t miss out on every aspect of his next scoop. You can visit our newsletters page, or sign up here for The Times of Troy.

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Today’s great reads

A banner vows “Oakland Will Never Quit” at the Oakland Ballers’ inaugural home opener in June against the Yolo High Wheelers. The teams play in the Pioneer League.

(Scott Strazzante / Associated Press)

“No other American sport binds generations like baseball,” The Times’ Bill Shaikin writes. “Yet, at a time efforts to grow the game by developing a younger and more diverse fan base finally are paying off, baseball teams are abandoning minor league and major league markets in the nation’s most populous state.” But some communities are fighting back, as Bill details in his latest story.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

The pier on a sunny day in the chill beach city of Ventura.

(Jeanette Marantos / Los Angeles Times)

Going out

Staying in

And finally … a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

Today’s great photo is from Juily Phun of San Gabriel: Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas.

Juily writes: “Bonelli Park is the San Gabriel Valley eastside’s answer to green space. Site to many elected officials’ speeches about what is quintessential of Southern California, Bonelli is a lovely space with a lake, beautiful views of the San Gabriel mountains and a lovely sunset.”

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break

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