UCLA Athletics Needs To Make Going To Pauley Pavilion More Fan Friendly

I do not know if you have noticed, but things are not exactly cracking down at Pauley Pavilion, the legendary arena that former coaching great, John R. Wooden built. You could say it is about the product the basketball team (and other teams that use Pauley) as a reason for the lack of bodies in the seats in one of the most famous college basketball facilities in the world, but you can also say it is because of the lack of intrigue by the UCLA Athletic Department. Basically, Pauley Pavilion has got no show and it is the responsibility of the AD to make it an event every single time a Bruin team steps onto that court.

For the most part, men’s basketball is the only team with the ability to completely fill Pauley, so for the sake of this article, we will use them to suggest what UCLA can do to improve their game day experience, with respect to the other teams, though they should also have what I will be listing.

January 26, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins student section cheers against the California Golden Bears during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Getting To Pauley

The 405 Freeway. Old, decrepit Sunset Boulevard. Constant campus construction. It is a nightmare getting to Pauley Pavilion nowadays (just imagine if we had a football stadium on campus). The first thing that UCLA needs to do is make sure the fans come out with the least amount of aggravation possible. With that, sporting event parking should be seriously reduced or even abolished for weak non-conference games. UCLA does not have to worry about losing money on this because they have so much to begin with. Does the Pac-12 Network deal ring a bell?

Or even better, have one of the UCLA Transit Buses have a special “Gameday Express” that travels through Westwood Village up to Pauley Pavilion. Its purpose, like the shuttle at the Rose Bowl, is two-fold: (1) to pick up fans that want to park, shop and/or eat in the Village before the game and (2) to bring students to and from their homes safely.

During the eight preseason games at Pauley this season, not a single one sold out. Fans did not even come out this past Saturday for the game against #9 Gonzaga. A high-profile game against one of the better teams in the country on ESPN and UCLA could not even get Pauley full. Kentucky’s Rupp Arena was overloaded with fans in their midnight madness event. THAT WAS NOT EVEN A REAL GAME AND IT SOLD OUT! That brings me to my next point…

Oct 17, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats banners are displayed during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Entice The Season Ticket Holders To Show Up Or Move The Cameras

Make It A Show

I am all for tradition, but the production level of UCLA basketball games (and all games for that matter) needs to be stepped up. I was there for the grand re-opening of Pauley and remember them putting on a pre-game ceremony that included lasers, smoke machines and heart-pumping videos of Bruin Basketball teams from the past… that should be the setting to start every single game that ever takes place in Pauley.

Get the Den and the UCLA Band involved. Get some of the more famous alumni and former athletes to introduce the starting lineup. Get the lights, music and presentation turned up! Make it THE place for a basketball fans to come to. Fans will love it, recruits will love it and the major networks will love it.

Halftime

I am all for students in Sumo Wrestling costumes battling it out on Nell and John Wooden court, but come on, that court deserves better. Have the UCLA Band play at half court backing a famous rock or hip-hop outfit. Make the student giveaways more intense, but also more enjoyable.

Giveaways, Special Promotions and General Love For The Fans

UCLA has money, so giving back to the fans would be very beneficial.

Mar 27, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; UCLA Bruins fans cheer during the second half against the Florida Gators in the semifinals of the south regional of the 2014 NCAA Mens Basketball Championship tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

For instance, how about giving free posters to the first 3,000 fans, discounted concessions for select games, “cheap seat” nights for some of the non-marquee out-of-conference games? I saw a suggestion on Twitter during the Gonzaga game that mentioned charging $8 for “nosebleeds.” (h/t @sfitzpatrick) That definitely seems like a very fair strategy for filling the arena during some of those early non-conference games. A “family four-pack” idea was also discussed, and that would be a great, affordable way to have a family night at Pauley and also introduce kids to the great game of basketball. I don’t see how you could go wrong there. (h/t @Bruin1fan).

As for where we stand now, through eight games at Pauley this season, the average attendance is a paltry 6,556 fans per contest, good for only 47.50% of the recently-renovated arena’s capacity.

Certainly (I hope), attendance should increase when the Bruins begin their Pac-12 home slate on January 8 versus Stanford, but putting these types of promotions and discounts in place for both some of the non-conference games and some of the Pac-12 battles would be a good start towards increasing home attendance and truly restoring Pauley Pavilion’s place as one of the most intimidating environments in college basketball.

Here’s hoping some or all of these changes are implemented in the near future.