A new era for Go Joe Bruin will begin.
Since May of 2023, Go Joe Bruin has been my home for sports writing, my platform for my sports opinions, and my outlet to talk collegiate sports. I’ve enjoyed my time covering UCLA in more ways than one. When I first started writing here, it was simply to share my thoughts, insights, and takes about UCLA sports with anyone who would listen. Little did I know I’d be joining a community of dedicated, knowledgeable, and passionate readers who love UCLA and their athletic teams.
What I'll miss most are the discussions and interactions with fans on social media. The feeling of hitting "publish" on an article and immediately seeing the comments being made on our social media platforms—whether you agreed or disagreed —was what made writing for this site so much fun was the interactions with Bruin fans. We debated coaching moves, shared our thoughts on incredible victories, and discussed tough losses and upsets. The fans are what made writing for Go Joe Bruin so enjoyable, and the respect they showed me will not be forgotten. One of my last memorable memories is when I was one of the reporters who was there to witness the conversation between LA Times staff writer Ben Bolch and UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond at Spartan Stadium.
I do have some advice for UCLA fans before I go for anyone who wants to hear it. First, never let the national media disrespect your fandom in the way that they have over the past few months. Time and time again, some in the national media have talked about the attendance at the Rose Bowl or suggested that UCLA doesn’t have the same fandom as many other Big Ten teams.
Some have also suggested that UCLA is not serious about hiring a big-time coach or that students don’t really care about the football program. Please remind them that UCLA does not have an on-campus stadium and that the Rose Bowl is 26 miles from campus and students who attend the number one public university in this country don’t return to campus for class until mid-September. Also, remind them that UCLA didn’t beg the Big Ten to let them join but that the Big Ten heavily pursued them to join the conference, as UCLA has the fourth-largest alumni association in the United States, with over 660,000 living alumni.
My point is that after covering UCLA for nearly two years now, the fanbase is more passionate, caring, and engaged in their teams than many in the national media give them credit for. The best example of this is when fans wanted Chip Kelly to no longer be their head football coach. Kelly had led the Bruins to three straight winning seasons, with him having UCLA winning eight games in 2021 and nine in 2022. Then in 2023, he led the Bruins to a 38-20 win at UCS for UCLA’s seventh win that season. However, the fans were so upset by him losing to teams he shouldn’t lose to, such as a 7-17 home loss to Arizona State the game prior, that many UCLA fans were ready for a change. The final thing that really upset Bruins fans was when he and his team, the following week after defeating the Trojans, they lost at home to Cal on senior day.
Many college football fans would be at the very least satisfied with the number of games UCLA won in football from 2021 to 2023. However, Bruin fans were upset with Kelly’s inability to recruit highly ranked incoming high school recruiting classes and the inconsistency week to week of the UCLA teams under Kelly. This is one of many examples of UCLA fans having high expectations of their teams and demanding change when those expectations are not met, as seen when they demanded that Deshaun Foster be relieved of his head coaching duties after a 0-3 start to this season.
Now, as much as I've cherished my time here, an exciting new writing assignment has come my way, and I am going to focus on writing for that site. Writing for both Go Joe Bruin as well as my new site is not sustainable for me.
While I'm moving on, I will not forget my time as the site editor for Go Joe Bruin. I want to say a genuine thank you to every single one of you who clicked on an article, shared it, or left a comment about an article I wrote. You are the reason this site thrives, and with that, I say goodbye.
Ryan Kay Former Site Editor, GoJoeBruin.com