Talk About Backchannel!
Bruce Schneier explains the hilarious prank Cal's Rally Committee played on Gabe Pruitt, USC's starting guard. They created an AIM account for a fake UCLA student "Victoria", who chatted with Gabe leading up to his March 4th game at UCLA.
On Saturday, at the game, when Pruitt was introduced in the starting lineup, the chants began: "Victoria, Victoria." One of the fans held up a sign with her phone number.
The look on Pruitt's face when he turned to the bench after the first Victoria chant was priceless. The expression was unlike anything ever seen in collegiate or pro sports. Never did a chant by the opposing crowd have such an impact on a visiting player....Pruitt ended up a miserable 3-for-13 from the field.
[via UCLA's Victoria AIM hoaxsmartmobs]
Comments
Interesting ploy!
Unfortunately for Mr. Schneier, it's too bad that the guy in the picture is not Gabe Pruitt, not to say that Pruitt had been playing injured for the majority of the 2005 season.
Totally off-topic, but I'd say the most amazing sports prank I've seen in recent years occurred during the 121st Yale-Harvard football rival game in 2004...apparently, a bunch of Yale students dressed up as members of
the "Harvard Pep Squad," passing out pieces of paper to the Harvard student section.
The Harvard fans were told that the pieces of paper would join together to spell "GO HARVARD." Little did they know, when held up at just the right
moment, the pieces actually spelled "WE SUCK."
Not entirely original, but amazing that the prank actually worked.
Posted by: JMiao![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://interactive.usc.edu/members/jbleecker/nav-commenters.gif)
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March 16, 2006 1:13 AM