Sidelines
Tough choice for fans:
Santa or UHLET'S start out by saying for the record that I am spending money on the Hawaii Bowl.
Even if it is for the cheapest tickets I can find.
It's Christmas. I'm working. My family, rather than sitting at home missing me (ha ha ha) is going to the game. They'll be there, in the Bob Uecker section, with no purses or backpacks or bottle caps. Ready for a beautiful day of peace, love, goodwill toward men -- and football.
I don't have those tickets yet, but I've been told there's no need to panic.
There are, as they say, good seats still available.
The bowl had sold 28,100 seats as of Thursday night's count, and while sales have picked up, right now projections head toward the 33,000-35,000 range, according to executive director Jim Donovan.
More than 40,000 had been hoped for, high 30s in the seats would be nice. But, "I realistically adjusted my goals after the San Diego State game," Donovan said. That was the night in which a 9-3 team put together a thrilling comeback to win a 1-point game in front of 32,892.
And that game wasn't even on Christmas.
THERE ARE TWO ways of looking at this game's ticket sales. The first is the quaint, old-fashioned booster model, the notion that you owe your allegiance to the Hawaii Bowl. That you should "support" UH, that you should "support" its bowl game. You've heard this. That it's your civic duty, that no matter the opponent, no matter the day, no matter the time, place, channel, you should buy tickets to the Hawaii Bowl.
You'll do it if you're a good citizen of the state of Hawaii, if you're a true UH fan.
You'll do it if you care about the future. It's an investment, they say. Buy tickets to this game, and the ones in the future will be bigger, better.
Do it because if you don't, the game might fade away and leave, and UH may never get another bowl.
In this argument all of the responsibility is on you.
Are you a good sports fan or aren't you?
Don't you want UH to be big-time?
This is something we have heard a lot of, in these past few weeks.
THE SECOND SCHOOL of thought, in these times of remote-control cable TV and instant Internet, is more consumer-oriented. In it, the potential ticket buyers are fans, yes, but customers, too.
You have to give them exciting options, something appealing, something that works for them. You have to give them what they want, or they're not buying.
These days, it seems whenever someone says they're not going to the game it always comes down to the timing, and the Tulane.
You wonder where all these concerns were, about Christmas Day, about a low-profile opponent, back in May when everyone was all smiles at the announcement in the governor's office.
Of course, I don't remember seeing any regular fans that day in the governor's office. There were ESPN guys and UH guys and the then-governor and June Jones and the then-commissioner of Conference USA. They were smiling.
When ConAgra Foods came aboard, the reaction bordered on joy.
But amid all the celebration there was already rumbling among people not directly involved that Christmas Day was not the most convenient of days, and, let's face it, Conference USA football doesn't exactly set everyone abuzz.
Yes, we've had seven months to get used to the idea, but that doesn't mean everyone has been convinced.
THIS GAME IS a great opportunity for the University of Hawaii. It's a fantastic time slot. The TV ratings will be great. The world will see Hawaii, its beauty and its team.
That's what all those guys were smiling about in the governor's office so many months ago.
So far the numbers are adding up everywhere but at the box office.
Yes, we've all had a long time to get used to this date.
The same amount of time that the people who put this game together have known that it's tough to get fans to come out on Christmas Day.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com