Posted on: Thursday, December 12, 2002

ISLAND VOICES
Rah-rah gone for UH fan

By Steve Fukunaga
Honolulu resident

It's a shame only 32,892 people witnessed a great come-from-behind victory for the University of Hawai'i Warriors football team over San Diego State. The season's finale capped a remarkable season of memorable victories. We have now had back-to-back winning seasons with winning records three out of four years, and will have gone to a bowl game for the second time in the four years under coach June Jones.

UH also has one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, and yet ... where's the crowd? People in Hawai'i always say, "Give us a winner and we will come." So where are the fans?

I have been a faithful fan of the UH Warriors football team for 30 years, nearly 20 of those years as a season ticket holder. I must admit though, after this year, I may not be renewing my season tickets for next year. No, I have not given up on the Warriors. There are several reasons that are keeping me from renewing my season tickets.

First, there's the cost of parking. You pay $5 just to enter the stadium. I think that is too high a price just to park a car. I would have no complaints if they kept the parking fee at $3.

Second, I don't know whose idea it was to change the way cars enter the stadium parking lot, but I think it's made getting to the parking lot worse. It takes from 30 to 45 minutes to enter the stadium. Assigning entry points to sections of the parking lot was supposed to spread the traffic around the various gates. But by the time you get to the gate you want to enter from, its closed because the section has filled up.

Third, the food selection at the concession stands leaves a lot to be desired. Not only is the selection too limited, but the prices are ridiculously high. And you wonder why people sneak in their own food.

Also, the inability of UH to attract and retain big-name opponents is not helping either. Going 10-3 is great, but I'd rather be 8-5 against schools like Washington State, UCLA or Ohio State.

Finally, the cost of season tickets is near a point where it is becoming unaffordable.

In short, I no longer find going to the games a pleasant experience. With the advent of live telecast season subscription from our local cable company, who needs all that hassle?

I believe we must address all of the above and make the entire experience of attending games more attractive to bring back the days of 40,000 screaming fans in Aloha Stadium.