HondaReport.com - Wherefore art thou, Rainbow fans?

Once upon a time, in a shiny new stadium, 45,000 congregated and chanted RAAAAIINN!! ... BOWWWS!! for minutes on end. Today, the stadium is rusty, only half the 45,000 even show up, and Rainbows are no more.

There are glorious moments in sports, like last night's Monday Night Football game in the Superdome.

What is it that galvanizes an entire region, draws fans from several states to fill a super-sized facility that seemed to be a Dead Dome Walking just one year ago? Maybe it's human nature that brings us to life. When we're pushed to the edge of survival, a peak experience and the gift of life become abundantly profound no matter how jaded or apathetic we were. Or are.

In the case of UH football, it is the latter. We are apathetic. As it was before Jones arrived, there were a bare-bones core of 20,000 Rainbow Warrior fans. We saw that in the 0-12 season. Hawaii stunk, but those 20k fans kept coming every weekend, rain or shine, win or lose. At least parking wasn't a hassle.

But the mad scientist of offensive football, June Jones, arrived and brought winning football back to the islands. He tinkers with the offense in his laboratory, easily one of the most interesting and intriguing phenomena in all of college football. Now that he has speedy, skilled receivers en masse and a quarterback to match, the offense is high flying and entirely entertaining.

Sure, the Warrior defense has plenty of room for improvement, but give them time. UH spent 17 of its 25 scholarships on defensive players and a couple more classes like that will yield great dividends.

But where are the fans? Is it just too costly to attend UH games? Are the old-timers dying off? Is the new generation of fans unwilling to deal with it all?

• The whole Premium ticket package deal took a lot of wind out of UH's sails. Longtime fans were shoved out and told, not asked, to participate in a new system that maximized UH's revenue stream. Cold. Brrrr cold. I know a bunch of people who felt betrayed, who vowed never to return. You know what? They haven't.

• The PR blitz of a new logo, new uniforms and the omission of "Rainbow" from the JJ-era program was cool with me, but uncool to the old-timers. I mean, how do you actually deny the fact that when crowds were big, 45,000 fans would scream like crazy at Aloha Stadium. Half the stadium would holler "RAIN!" Then the other half would yell "BOWS!" That says it all. Fans loved their "Rainbows." The fact that the stands are half the size now and the coach refused to acknowledge that era is no wacky coincidence.

(It would not hurt for UH to recognize its Rainbow era and wear throwback uniforms and helmets at least twice a year. The fans who left because of the PR dismissal of UH's glory days at the gate might warm up to the program with the sight of those kelly green jerseys, rainbow-piped white pants and the old UH rainbow decal on those white helmets.)

• Arrogant on the outside? Statements can be taken out of context. When JJ said that the program never had a winning tradition until he arrived wasn't meant to diss the Dick Tomey or Bob Wagner 'Bows. Just remember that 0-12 season before JJ arrived. Talk of dropping to Division I-AA or Division II. Linfield anyone? How's about them Javelinas of Texas A&I. Oh goody. Come on, JJ may say things off the cuff now and then, but you know where his heart is. Or maybe you don't.

• Stadium of no aloha? Overblown. People want to be served, but Aloha Stadium is not a hotel, motel or even a 7-Eleven. It's just a facility. Fans are supposed to watch football, not sip capuccino and stretch out on a shiatsu massage recliner for a good little nap. BUT, the stadium does little to help families. Prices are ridiculously high. Even draft beer is 9 bucks. Crazy, and I'm not even a drinker.

Is it any better at other college programs? For the most part, my guess is no. What it comes down to is simple convenience. Driving to the stadium used to be about fun, intensity and a sometimes exotic experience. Beating an Oregon or Oregon State was huge news. Now, fans expect it. The element of surprise isn't there, and that kills a lot of excitement, enough to keep a lot of fans home watching on pay-per-view.

If UH were a pro franchise, the owner might be calling on the state to build a new stadium. That's the No. 1 excuse for NFL teams these days when revenues and attendance hit a ceiling or begin to dip. Aloha Stadium has little charm. But it's ours, and it sure fits a lot more people than old Honolulu Stadium.

UH plays in a mid-sized town that has a big-town self-image. The disconnect between UH and the fair-weather fans — the other 20,00 who used to turn out when the team was beating the Illinoises and BYUs of the world — is surpassed only by the self-image of those fans. The bubble fans show up for a glamorized all-star game — anyone remember Troy Aikman leaving the stadium after the first quarter? — yet turn out to UH games only if USC is in town.

So there we have it. Eastern Illinois is going to be here. The 20,000 diehards, the ones who actually saw UH play UOP and Linfield back in the day, will show up, rain or shine. Some hardcore fans have refused to take a hit to the wallet, so they gather in garages and living rooms for the PPV.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Sliding attendance came first, then the PPV. I'm still waiting for our own Saints to come marching home to the stadium. I just hope it doesn't take a disaster for us to realize that we already have the gift.