Essentially the most densely packed part contained in the Rose Bowl on Saturday was crammed with followers sporting the colours of the visiting group.
Swathed in crimson and white, they crammed into one nook of the century-old stadium for what amounted to a nightlong celebration.
Followers cheering for the house group had been extra subdued and scattered all through a stadium that appeared about one-third full, outnumbered by empty seats, visiting followers and people huge blue-and-gold tarps masking most of every finish zone. Intentionally or not, Fox cameras contained in the stadium confirmed these watching from dwelling solely extensive pictures crammed with graphics that obscured the paltry crowd.
By late within the third quarter, the one suspense remaining in UCLA’s 43-10 blowout loss to Utah was ready for the introduced attendance. Reporters within the press field got a determine of 35,032, which appeared inflated given so many empty seats beneath them.
It was.
The scan rely, a tally of individuals really inside the ability, was 27,785, in accordance with athletic officers.
Artistic accounting is the norm in faculty soccer given there are not any standardized practices for attendance reporting. The Huge Ten and different conferences go away it as much as particular person faculties to plot their very own formulation.
UCLA defines its introduced attendance as tickets distributed — together with freebies — plus non-ticketed and credentialed people comparable to gamers, coaches, workers, distributors, cheerleaders, band members, performers and even media. Throughout city, USC’s introduced attendance consists of solely tickets distributed, in accordance with an athletic division spokesperson, which was 62,841 for the season opener in opposition to Missouri State.
In current seasons, UCLA’s introduced attendance was typically greater than double the scan rely, in accordance with figures obtained by The Occasions by means of a public data request.
For UCLA’s dwelling opener in opposition to Bowling Inexperienced on a sweltering September day in 2022, the introduced attendance was 27,143, a report low for the group since transferring to the Rose Bowl earlier than the 1982 season.
The precise attendance was a lot decrease. UCLA’s scan rely, which represented individuals who entered the stadium (together with the aforementioned non-ticketed and credentialed people) was 12,383 — 14,760 fewer than the introduced attendance. The scan rely for the subsequent sport, in opposition to Alabama State, was only a smidgen greater at 14,093.
These eager for an on-campus stadium might quip that UCLA may as properly maintain some video games at Drake Stadium given the monitor facility holds 11,700 and will in all probability accommodate a number of thousand extra with momentary bleachers positioned reverse the everlasting grandstands.
Empty seats aren’t only a sport day buzzkill given their correlation to misplaced income.
“Since we are now in the era of NIL and revenue sharing, where cash is king,” stated David Carter, an adjunct professor of sports activities enterprise at USC, “every school hoping to play competitive big-time football needs to generate as much revenue and excitement around its program as possible. But since empty seats don’t buy beer or foam fingers, let alone merchandise and parking, any and all other forms of revenue are needed to offset these chronic game day losses in revenue.”
Declining income is very troublesome at a faculty whose athletic division has run within the crimson for six consecutive fiscal years. The Bruins introduced in $11.6 million in soccer ticket income throughout the latest fiscal yr, down practically half from the $20 million they generated in 2014 when the group averaged a report 76,650 followers on the Rose Bowl beneath coach Jim Mora. However one athletic official stated the college in 2025 might come near matching the $5.5 million it generated in season ticket income a yr in the past.
Low attendance is a deepening concern. UCLA’s 5 worst dwelling season-attendance figures since transferring to the Rose Bowl in 1982 have come during the last 5 seasons not interrupted by COVID-19, together with 46,805 final season. That determine ranked sixteenth among the many 18 Huge Ten Convention groups, forward of solely Maryland and Northwestern, which was enjoying at a short lived lakeside stadium seating simply 12,023.
Latest attendance numbers remind some longtime observers of the small crowds for UCLA video games within the late Seventies on the Coliseum, which was a part of the rationale for the group’s transfer to Pasadena. Throughout their last decade of calling the Coliseum dwelling, the Bruins topped 50,000 followers solely six instances for video games not involving rival USC.
“Now, disappointingly, it would appear that the same attendance challenges that UCLA football faced at the Coliseum in the 1970s are repeating themselves at the Rose Bowl,” stated John Sandbrook, a former UCLA assistant chancellor beneath chancellor Chuck Younger and one of many major energy brokers within the college’s change to the Rose Bowl.
Attendance woes are hardly confined to UCLA. Sixty-one of 134 Soccer Bowl Subdivision groups skilled a year-over-year decline in attendance final season, in accordance with D1ticker.com.
UCLA faces a number of distinctive challenges, significantly early every season. Its stadium resides 26 miles from campus and college students don’t begin courses till late September. Different explanations for low turnouts have included late begin instances such because the 8 p.m. kickoff in opposition to Utah, lackluster nonconference opponents and triple-digit warmth for some September video games.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava stated he appreciated those that did present up Saturday, together with a throng of family and friends from his hometown Lengthy Seaside.
“Fan base came out and showed their support, man,” Iamaleava stated. “You know, it felt great going out there and playing in front of them. Obviously, we got to do our part and, you know, get them a win and make them enjoy the game.”
On some events, UCLA’s attendance figures have intently mirrored the variety of individuals within the stadium, together with high-interest video games comparable to Colorado coach Deion Sanders’ look in 2023. For that sport, the introduced attendance (71,343) solely barely exceeded the scan rely (68,615).
The rivalry sport additionally will get followers to point out up. The introduced attendance of 59,473 final season for USC’s 19-13 victory on the Rose Bowl wasn’t far off from the scan rely of 51,588.
See all these empty seats? There have been fewer than 13,000 followers in attendance to see quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, proper, and extensive receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala have a good time a landing in opposition to Bowling Inexperienced in 2022.
(Mark J. Terrill / Related Press)
Nonetheless, as traditions go, inventive accounting may predate the eight-clap. Much like fudging practices identified to be widespread at different faculties, UCLA officers have been identified to decorate attendance figures, typically rounding far sufficient previous the subsequent thousand to not pressure credulity, in accordance with two individuals aware of operations who spoke on situation of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Moreover, in accordance with a former college administrator who noticed the follow, a member of the athletic division workers would present a slip of paper with a urged attendance determine for basketball video games at Pauley Pavilion within the Sixties and Seventies to athletic director J.D. Morgan, who would both nod or take a pen and alter the quantity to 1 extra to his liking. That follow continued beneath subsequent athletic director Peter Dalis, the administrator stated.
Whereas declining to remark for this story, present athletic directors have acknowledged the problem of drawing followers in an more and more crowded sports activities panorama that now consists of two native NFL groups. Amongst different ventures, UCLA has created a brand new fan zone outdoors the stadium that may be loved with out buying a ticket and can maintain a live performance on the north aspect of the stadium the day of the Penn State sport early subsequent month.
Whereas there’s no promotion like successful, because the saying goes, there additionally could also be no salvaging the state of affairs for the Bruins’ subsequent dwelling sport. UCLA will face New Mexico on Sept. 12 for a Friday night kickoff that can drive followers to struggle weekday site visitors to see their favourite group face an opponent from the Mountain West Convention.
Courageous souls who go searching and listen to the introduced attendance may expertise inflation on the rise as soon as extra.
