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On second thought,
jack ’em up

MY first thought -- which turned out to be wrong, as first thoughts often are -- was that this is at least a year too soon.

This was when the news came that Ahahui Koa Anuenue -- and the notes on the booster club's public meeting are on the UH athletic Web site -- was looking at jacking up the preferred seating charges for season tickets to UH sports.

Too soon, I said. Why? Well, not because Hawaii doesn't need the money now. It does. (And within 20 months, apparently.)

No, it sounded quick on the trigger at first because the seats aren't full now.

In the law of supply and demand, it's the fans who seem to have the leverage at this point.

There's already a problem getting people through the door in the first place. Now raise prices on top of that?

UH had been doing a great job trying to get more people through the door. New deputy AD John McNamara has done a great job with this. There have been bulletins, promotions, cool striped shirts. A Kids' Club (I get like four Kids' Club e-mails a day). Good stuff.

I once joked in print that you would get a free toaster for attending the Michigan State game.

But UH needs to do stuff like that, the way football attendance has been down, the way basketball attendance isn't bad, but should be better.

It's a long-standing technique. Bill Cosby once called it the "junkie deal."

First one free. Get people interested. Get people hooked.

THEN jack up prices.

I thought UH needed at least another year -- at least -- to let the promotions sink in, to let the addiction build for the long run. Otherwise, you're getting some quick cash, but shooting yourself in the foot.

But let's take a closer look, and find out where I was wrong.

Koa Anuenue (motto: aren't you glad we didn't become "the H-Club"?) did a survey, a real one, conducted by a research company. It was a survey of UH season-ticket holders, and let's quote the results below:

Well. That's great. They actually asked the season-ticket holders and the season-ticket holders want to carry the load. They want to pay more than the rest of us, according to this survey.

Now, I don't think you're going to get any new season-ticket holders with this plan, but as it is, it's a great way to get a quick boost for the budget.

It's a specific plan aimed at a specific group of people and that specific group of people has said, in effect, hit me.

Can't argue with that.

I don't have a problem with it.

That's a pretty good plan.

The only concern would be not hitting too hard, to the point of diminishing returns, to the point where regular working people who were giving proudly are forced to say no mas.

Oh, and with such a small percentage of the fan base paying a big percentage of the bills, I would want to keep them happy. If you are asking people to pay that much, I would think they would care not just about wins and losses, but about feeling proud of the direction and the feel of UH programs.

Otherwise, if they want to pay more, let them pay more. You asked for it, you got it, Toyota. I like this plan. Let's see if it goes through.

But UH can't stop the promotions and the Kids' Club e-mails just because the numbers might crunch here. Eating the rich might help you pull even, but it won't put you over the top.

A nice boost to the budget doesn't make up for having just 30,000 in the stands.

UH should never forget that it has become the big business that it is thanks to the passion of the common fan.

It should never forget that "season-ticket holders at UH Athletic events are not representative of the population as a whole."