By Paul Honda
paul@hondareport.com
Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2007

I'm asked now and then what my thoughts are regarding the UH football schedule situation.

Obviously, it is a dilemma. You might say, catastrophe. Even the most strident backers of UH's administration are shaking their heads at this point. The latest chapter in this tale, as Dave Reardon penned in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin, is devoid of any positive expectations.

It was real easy for the media to take a stance that questioned the problem back in December, January and February. Some, including radio talent, chided fans who demanded some sort of solidification before they invested hard-earned dollars for season tickets.

The fact is, however, that many of the high-school prospects I interviewed wanted to play big-time programs. One, a prominent All-State defensive lineman, said that if UH had a schedule of Notre Dame, USC and Ohio State, he would gladly suit up for the Warriors. It's a pipe dream, perhaps, to line up such a slate, but the basic premise is simple to understand.

And yet, for some reason or other, UH just didn't make it enough of a priority to get the schedule sealed long before recruiting season was done. It couldn't be done, apparently, long before Colt Brennan entertained the possibilities of a life with big money in his bank account.

It comes down to trust. A lot of folks put a lot of trust into UH's administration. Fans. Players. Recruits. Potential recruits were smart enough to weigh their options, and many of them were right by following their instincts, leaving the islands for the Pac-10. Who wants to be stuck playing I-AA teams twice a year?

Worse than this is the estranged relationship between the core fans who have already been displaced by the premium seating arrangement. They were kicked to the curb without any semblance of appreciation for their years — decades — of loyalty. Winning them back seemed possible after the magical season of Colt & Co.

And now? They ain't gonna jump back in. So many of them are older, tired of the b.s., tired of being mistreated, and absolutely content to watch on PPV in the comfortable confines of home. A number of them just do other things, period, disgusted by the outright stiff arm to old traditions.

There is, of course, still a leftover core of fans. They number about 20,000 now, down from around 25,000 during the vonAppen years. Attrition, age, apathy have crept in for the ones who are no longer the core. Then there are the 25 to 30k fans who are in the gray area, the ones who will NEVER pay good money to see UH play a I-AA team, but will be first in line to see USC or Notre Dame in Aloha Stadium.

What I wish would change is something that goes beyond revenue and ticket sales and PPV. What I wish would change is something that harkens back to the most basic tenets of athletics and sales.

Goodwill. We need this in relationships. We need to see this on the field, the courts, in the words and actions of administrations to fans at large. We need it because, in the end, there's nothing else that can prevent sinkage. Try as they might, UH administration can't keep public apathy from sinking this boat.

Colt Brennan and everyone from last season's team went beyond the call and brought hope back. They kept the boat afloat. It's just a shame that goodwill has been lost, or tossed overboard, because scheduling wasn't enough of a priority when it mattered most.

At this point, bad news is an expectation, and the vibes are already built into the morale of fans. The best thing UH can do now is get this 2007 schedule done without any more excuses and, without taking a single breath to rest, go directly into making the 2008 and 2009 schedules as great as can be. Serve up every new opponent to the fans as quickly as possible, no matter how difficult it is to retain teams (anyone remember Texas' pullout?).

In other words, work as if if your job depended on it.

Previous Article: Corn-fed future, Lost & Gilligan
Next Article: Prep hoops galore

Comments

Post A Comment