UCLA’s attendance woes at the Rose Bowl continued with their lightly attended opener with Hawaii.  The Bruins’ opener attracted the fewest fans, with announced attendance of 33,000, since their November 1992 game against Oregon State.   Trust the Odyssey:  far fewer than 66,000 eyeballs were present.  TV brutally dictated that both Fresno State and UCLA play midday, Week 0 games in California heat (the field temp at Fresno was only 117 degrees) instead of another perfect California Night (yes, the Odyssey loves Lesley Gore.  RIP, Lesley!).

UCLA’s average home attendance in their last pre-covid year, 2019, was 43,800 — lowest since the Bruins made their move to the Rose Bowl in 1982.  With the specter of rabid LSU fans taking over the Rose Bowl this Saturday, the UCLA administration is taking  steps to fight back:

  1. Each student is being provided a free ticket.  UCLA students have been traditionally apathetic.  One reason is the lack of an on-campus stadium.  The trek from Westwood to Pasadena is not always fun in congested LA traffic.
  2. High school students in Southern California will be eligible to get free tix.
  3. Alcohol sales are newly permitted.  UCLA Students can actually get drunk at the Rose Bowl instead of West Hollywood!  Plus, the monetary bonanza of selling alcohol to LSU fanatics can hardly be underestimated.  We can imagine Roger Miller singing “Chug A Lug” at halftime.
  4.  As a bonus, UCLA looked great in their opener.  The Bruins appear to be a VERY live dog against LSU.  The Odyssey predicts an alcohol-aided upset.