According to Hawaii football lore, the son of a prominent sports figure wanted to take charge in the celebration of the Warriors’ title-clinching victory at Aloha Stadium.
Leading his friends in a vow to bring down the goal posts, Rob scaled a railing and raced onto the field. While being tackled by security guards, Rob realized none of his friends had followed.
These days, UH leaders must feel that they, too, have been Rob’d.
Oh, sure, UH feels the love from the community. There are “H” logos everywhere. Folks understand what “braddahhood” means. A nay-saying pol posed for a picture with the men’s volleyball team’s NCAA-winning trophy.
But in these times — when college players can prosper from name-image-likeness deals and schools are strong-armed into sharing revenue— the currency of support is still money — and compared to many NCAA Division I programs, UH is experiencing a drought of liquid assets.
Through their actions, UH officials are showing they are on their own.
They no longer harbor pipe dreams that billionaires with property deeds are willing to provide generous deeds. The Zuckenbergs and Ellisons are not writing checks to UH sports. It’s not like people with uku-billions don’t enjoy Hawaii or can’t tolerate an occasional tropical storm. It’s just that they don’t need or want to spend it on UH teams. And that’s OK. People can spend — or not spend — however they wish.
It also is the prerogative of lawmakers to not want to contribute state money toward paying down UH’s NIL commitments for this academic year. UH sought $5 million, equating to 0.025% of the state budget. Lawmakers settled on $0, or 0.000%. In politics, that’s the way it goes, just like using a blind draw as a tiebreaker for elections.
UH also is not finding much support from colleagues. Back in the day, the so-called Hawaii exemption allowed UH football opponents an extra regular-season game if they played the Warriors. That gave opponents a 12th game to help the Warriors’ scheduling. When the NCAA increased the regular-season limit to 12 games, the exemption provided a 13th for UH and its opponents. To further help, UH was allowed to play on Week Zero — a weekend ahead of the start of the football season — to attract nonconference opponents.
Now all teams are allowed to play on Week Zero. With more potential opponents preferring byes rather than a 13th game, UH is back to scrambling to fill its schedule.
With no multi-billionaire donor and fewer sympathetic colleagues, UH is creating its own narrative. Although a Manoa chancellor was hired, UH president Wendy Hensel continues to oversee the athletic department. No passing the responsibility. Hensel hired athletic director Matt Elliott, and remains supportive — and protective — of UH sports.
With UH now a nearly full member of the Mountain West, Hensel is establishing a leadership role. This summer, Hensel joined the Mountain West Board of Directors, which is composed of the presidents and chancellors of member institutions, and was selected to serve on the board’s Executive Committee. Hensel also was selected as the Mountain West’s representative on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. That group oversees the governance and long-term direction of the CFP.
“From the minute she started, you know, her voice has been a powerful one in the boardroom,” MW commissioner Gloria Nevarez said of Hensel last month. “She’s well respected amongst the peers in that room. She raised her hand to serve on these things. And so we couldn’t be more excited. She’s willing. Her background as a lawyer, too, has been really helpful in creating policy. And, yeah, she’s become a very valuable voice in the room very quickly.”
Elliott also a secured commitment from five business leaders to donate a combined $1 million each year for the next five years toward UH’s NIL commitments. Last week, a donation club was started in the name of former volleyball coach Dave Shoji. The Warriors also announced several viewing “clubs” for football games at the Ching Complex. The renditions might have been accentuated, much like a Tinder profile, but the intent was apparent: find revenue from limited sources.
In the old days, Gov. John Burns paved the way to build Aloha Stadium and herald the Rainbow Warriors into a Division I conference. Gov. John Waihee built the on-campus arena. Gov. Ben Cayetano formed a hui to raise money for the UH football team. These days, UH is the problem-solver. When Aloha Stadium breaks, UH — without lawmakers’ blessing — converts a practice field into a workable football venue. When the soccer field in Central Oahu is unplayable, UH moves some bleachers, sets up a scoreboard and serves as host to a season-opening tournament at an under-construction, on-campus venue.
Sponsored by partner Hawaii Pacific Health, the second annual Braddahhood Ball is set for this Saturday, with proceeds and donations supporting UH’s NIL opportunities, student-athlete nutrition, and resources to recruit and retain players.
As the landscape evolves in college athletics, UH leaders are accepting that they can only count on their supporters, partners and themselves.
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