The Timmy Chang Chronicles Pt.4: The Vegas Warriors? Oh Hell No
Respected Hawaii journalist Stephen Tsai recently wrote an article for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser stating that Hawaii should play marquee home games at Sam Boyd Stadium. With respect to Mr. Tsai, a man for which I have a tremendous amount of respect for, his words made me vomit in my mouth. Now a move to Las Vegas would be phenomenal for me. I, like many of Hawaii’s people have traveled to the “9th island” in search of better opportunities but despite the fact I graduated from UNLV, a part of me will always bleed green. That is because UH athletes is the closest thing I have to a home team. Hawaii doesn’t have pro sports or at least not while I was growing up. We had no other outlet as our favorite teams are miles and an ocean away. So I saw Mr. Tsai’s article and I read it twice, examined all the points yet found nothing but headaches and frustration in his words. Hawaii football belongs in Hawaii, end of story.
Why? Why play in Vegas. The answer: money. Of course and it makes sense, money is the key to everything and the UH football program doesn’t have enough of it. Of course the state of Hawaii has enough money to pay its politicians their salaries for them to hold fruitless meetings into the program where they threaten Todd Graham with a buyout but now that Graham left on his own accord, that so called check they have to remove him remains uncashed. Why not use the 1.3 million dollars as an investment into the UH athletes program they love so much. Oh wait, that’s the issue. It seems a politician will only hold office if they disregard any attempt to make policy. So thus Darryl McBride Jr, R.J. Hollis and Kolby Wyatt have to crowd fundraise in order to pay for Hawaii’s athlete’s nutritional needs. Hey, you know what’s a good idea to make money! Let’s pay for 10 yearly trips to and from the mainland for an entire football team and it’s staff.
But the issue isn’t just about money, it’s about image. Maybe it’s not nice to play at T.C Ching. Spoiler alert, Aloha Stadium has been rusting away for decades but Hawaii still played there on national television. Oh and for those who’ve never been to Sam Boyd Stadium, it’s a more ugly version of Aloha Stadium. I’ve watched UNLV play there, I’ve walked the concourse, I even graduated on that field. The stadium is in the middle of nowhere, 30 minutes from the strip. Besides the parking lot which gets as jammed packed as Aloha Stadium after a football game, the rest of the parking spaces is an open parking lot. No bad if not for the consistent traffic jams and one way exit.
But let’s get to the real reason this plan makes me so upset. It is because people are agreeing with it. I respect everyone’s opinion but I remember catching a lot of heat for my support of Todd Graham. That’s fair but the main criticism of his tenure was his alienation of Hawaii/ Polynesian recruits/ players. Chevan Cordeiro, Darius Muasau, Justice Tavai, AJ Bianco, etc. How in the hell do you expect to keep players home when you’re sending them to the mainland? “Oh it’s only for marquee games.” Which games do you think Hawaii fans want to see? What games do you think family members in Hawaii are gonna try their hardest to watch? Oh and how do you think that’s gonna go down with recruits. “Hey recruit, I know you’re gonna have a busy schedule with practice and class Monday-Friday but you also need to fly out on Friday, play a football game on Saturday, fly home on Sunday and get ready for practice and class on Monday. You’re gonna burn these kids out. For what?
Another point listed is that it would make it easier for opposing teams to travel. Why would we want to make it easier on an opponent? Hawaii has 1 top 25 win in the mainland ever. Hawaii just beat a top 25 team at home last season. That’s what is awesome about Hawaii, it gives our players a unique home field advantage. Why would we give that up? With Oregon and UCLA set to play in Manoa in the next several years, it gives UH a big opportunity to make an impression on the big stage. Not a random game at Sam Boyd.
Hawaii would also need permission from a bunch of people including UNLV. Would they even give Sam Boyd to Hawaii. If so, at what price? Who would get the ticket money, parking money, concession money? Who would pay for staff, security, the police? See UNLV has their own police department so it was all in house, are you gonna contract them? How much are they gonna cost? What about Metro who charges around $50-$75 dollars an hour per officer? I’m not seeing too much profit on the table.
The last thing that drives me up a wall is the fact that UH is a university. One of the perks associated with tuition is the free tickets to games along with the fun atmosphere that is the student section. A move like that prohibits student support, student engagement and creates a bigger divide between the school and the program. Are you gonna fly parents and fans to Vegas? Oh so Hawaii parents are forced to watch their sons play their “home games” on tv. Makes no sense.
UNLV vs Hawaii and UNR vs Hawaii packs the house because of the massive population of Hawaii people or Hawaii associated people living in Nevada. However Hawaii plays in Vegas every two years and in Reno every two years. It’s an event that many look forward to attending. Will they attend if there was a game every weekend? What would be the average attendance? Who could afford season tickets? Hawaii travels to the mainland six times a year, plenty of opportunity for fans to watch their team. Saturate the market with games, the number of fans dwindle.
This is the type of move that kills a program. I’m down for a game in Vegas every year. Like Arkansas with Cowboy Stadium, Texas and Oklahoma do with the Cotton Bowl and Maryland does with M&T Bank Stadium, it would be cool to have a yearly Vegas matchup. Hawaii vs BYU or something at Allegiant. To play in Vegas in pursuit of money is such a horrible idea, I can barely stand the thought of it. Hawaii players would leave for mainland colleges as they wouldn’t be able to play in front of their families. UH would make no money in Vegas and the disconnect between UH and its fans would be like no other. It is tradition of a lot of families to tailgate and watch the game in person. For generations to see superstars live. To aspire to be like the heroes they see in real life and not on tv. If UH plays its home games in Vegas, you might as well terminate the program. It’s the HAWAII Warriors, not Vegas’s other team.
