UCLA Football: Bruins Eye Home Attendance Revival as 2023 Season Unfolds
The UCLA Football program is known for many things. Some of those stereotypes are positive -- while others are not so forgiving.
In terms of a negative point against the Bruins, many nationally -- and even locally -- comment on the lack of attendance at the Rose Bowl for the majority of UCLA home games.
Average attendance at the Rose Bowl:
2019: 43,848
2020: COVID year
2021: 45,818
2022: 41,593
The modern capacity for the Rose Bowl is said to be 92,542. Based on the numbers shown above, UCLA is well below those totals. In every case, the last three years (forgetting the COVID year) has usually averaged less than half of what its stadium's capacity actually is.
Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times wrote a column this past Wednesday in which he mentioned 12 things UCLA must do to win the Pac-12 in its farewell season.
Chief among them is to fill out the Rose Bowl at a higher clip than we've seen. According to Bolch, save for the COVID year, this is the worst stretch of UCLA attendance for football dating back to 1982 when the Rose Bowl was officially purposed as the Bruins' home field.
A gigantic blue and gold 'UCLA' tarp was placed on the north end of the stadium as a means to cover up large swaths of seats, which usually were empty. While it's a brief aim to make things look better aesthetically, it's still a bit of an eyesore in the worst way.
The question persists: Why is UCLA's attendance so down?
It's a multi-layered answer -- which starts and ends with apathy. Despite the inherent advantages UCLA holds as an academic and athletic institution, the football program has been very mediocre -- save for a few seasons -- dating back 20ish years.
With the economy fluctuating, prices for tickets have gone up. The city of Los Angeles has plenty to offer from an entertainment standpoint. For those wanting a cheaper, more enjoyable alternative, UCLA Football probably isn't on the list of the average Angeleno.
While the Rose Bowl itself is a very beautiful venue/setting, it's truly a pain to get in and out of (if you've been before). People don't want to spend 30-45 minutes waiting to enter the parking lot before waiting potentially an hour afterward to leave.
Lastly, the off-campus stadium limits the possible school spirit. Getting to Pasadena -- roughly an hour away with minimal traffic from campus -- is a chore for the UCLA college student without access to a car or transportation. Also, the effort to promote UCLA football from the administration seems a bit lackluster and even antiquated.
We've seen a proverbial dip in attendance for all of these reasons. As for Chip Kelly, he's hoping this won't be the case in 2023. This team is arguably as talented as he's had in Westwood. Plus, the fan base should be able to enjoy the potentially lethal combination of true freshman QB Dante Moore slinging the rock downfield to electric transfer WR J. Michael Sturdivant.
