Fan-Made Fire Lane Kiffin Shirt Now On Sale

Not spotted on the runways of Milan or Paris any time soon, Inside USC tweeted the below image of a CafePress.com, fan-made t-shirt advising the reader to “Keep Calm and Fire Kiffin.”

Unless this is the now outdated (or is that throwback?) version calling for the ouster of Monte Kiffin, this is demanding the dismissal of head coach Lane Kiffin.

There are several problems with this shirt. Odds of USC approving usage of its licensed logo for fan-made clothing demanding the firing of its most prominent figure are nil. This off-season has already seen one profiteering fan from using a trademark property, as Johnny Manziel’s camp won a decision barring the sale of “Keep Calm and Johnny Football” t-shirts.

And yes, the Manziel shirts did indeed sport the same slogan. The “Keep Calm and ___” fad should run its course soon, right? It’s this generation’s version of the Budweiser WHAZZZZUUUPPPPP guys.

Beyond the use of a trademarked logo, USC should put a stop to these shirts simply for the complete lack of originality.

Were the cliched use of “Keep Calm” not bad enough, keeping calm but firing someone seems contradictory. The former doesn’t accurately describe how fans or media assess the Kiffin era, though the literal does echo plenty of sentiments.

Kiffin occupies one of the hottest seats in college football after a disappointing 7-6 finish in 2012. The preseason No. 1 Trojans’ limp to the season’s conclusion was historic — never before had an AP preseason top team struggled as much as USC.

Expectations are somewhat unrealistic, given the severity of NCAA sanctions that are just beginning to take a toll. Kiffin inherited a program serving a two-year bowl ban, and facing multiple scholarship reductions. The team’s lack of depth is a glaring, and seemingly inevitable problem.

Still, fans and pundits alike set the bar at a pre-sanction height.

Kiffin welcomes one of the most highly rated recruiting classes ever this season. His recruiting prowess is undeniable, but almost a curse. He’s recruited well enough during this time to

Kiffin is on the hot seat for reasons within his control, though. His insistence on calling plays drew warranted criticism, including from his own players. It arguably cost the Trojans in losses to Arizona and Notre Dame.

He was also at the center of several silly, avoidable controversies. On their own, incidents like partially deflated game balls against Oregon, changing players’ numbers in-game, running away from press conferences and banning respected reporters may not be such considerable missteps. Together, and compounded by a disappointing on-field product, they fuel the fire under Kiffin’s seat.

One fan’s homemade t-shirt is hardly indicative of a widespread sentiment. CafePress allows users to produce their own threads; a user could commission a Kansas Jayhawks 2014 BCS champions t-shirt, but that wouldn’t make it so.

In this case, however, the message conveyed is one commonly held — even if it’s poorly presented.