LAist – A photo showing UCLA’s Sproul Hall being turned into (literally) a giant “fuck you” to USC is making the rounds. Some, including TMZ, claim that it was taken last night, but it looks like that’s not quite true.  First of all, we’re guessing that if UCLA managed to pull off this prank in 2012, we’d be seeing multiple variations of the picture on Twitter/Tumblr/Facebook/whatever, but all we’re seeing is the same shot from the same angle. Second, some at UCLA in this Reddit thread note that Sproul Hall is under construction, so this picture doesn’t look current.

Finally, we found out that this photo looks exactly like a prank from 1977. Here’s an excerpt of a 2006 story from The Bruin that describes the prank:

In a similar display of Bruin pride and support for UCLA’s basketball team, Tilles and fellow 1977 UCLA graduate Matt Natalizio helped organize an effort to let fans in Pauley Pavilion know what they thought of the visiting basketball team.  “FUCK ’SC” was spelled in the lights of Sproul Hall and was easily visible from Pauley Pavilion, Natalizio said.  “The lights are like a grid and we figured out whose light needed to be on and whose needed to be off if we wanted to spell something,” he said.

So, yeah, we’re going to go ahead and guess that this photo circulating today was taken decades before.

 

Ugh I hate getting faked out.  It’s the worst.  Must be like what people who thought that “Hello!” flip video was real felt when that first came out.   So disheartening too.  Like give me something to believe in UCLA.  I need something to believe in.  I want to be into this rivalry so bad.  I want you to get an entire dorm to choreograph lighting up at the exact same time to tell USC to go fuck themselves.   Not just doing pussy shit like telling their drum major he can’t do his little dance and stab your field.  Time to make a statement and be somebody.  Carpe diem bros.  It’s now or never.  Or, just keep getting your dicks stomped inside out on the field and do nothing about it.