J-Dub and Shelter 37

Any idea on the origin of the name "Shelter 37?" I didnt see that on their website.

Washington wore #37 in the pros.

It's cool that J-Dub gives away tickets to our games. I just don't like when we give tickets to all those high school bands and the high school cheerleaders. It is freaking annoying to have the endzones painted in 40 different colors with high school students who aren't even Bruin fans. And the half-time shows are horrible. The only halftime show worth watching is the Pee-Wee football kids playing on the field.

Frankly I'm shocked that VB didn't have something positive to say...

Who would have expected more complaining out of him?

Hey muckraker, read the first line of my post. I said it's cool that J-Dub gives away tickets.

And to be completely honest, it's hard to say positive things about UCLA's football program when we haven't fielded a decent team since 1998 (with the exception of 2005). So yes, I have the right to criticize the fact the our school hands out tickets to high schoo marching bands and cheerleaders. Maybe I'm looking forward to a program that sells those endzone seats to fans, instead of having to give them away.

You don't appreciate VB's antics, GET LOST! I'm here to stay!

Those large groups of school kids aren't as fun as the Pee-Wee football kids to watch at half time - no doubt about it. The questions VB needs to ask himself are:

-Who else is going to buy food and souveniers as the Rose Bowl. Empty seats don't buy $5 hot dogs and $5 sodas.

-Also, empty seats don't look good on television. What do people at home think when they turn on a UCLA football game and see the place half empty - especially before UCLA classes start up in the Fall.

-How does having an empty stadium effect recruits that are in the stands watching, or the ones at home watching on TV? If you're going after big time recruits, they want a full stadium to play in front of.

-Perhaps one of those kids are now UCLA fans for attending a game and may remember going to a game later on in life when they become a big time player. With the amount of bandwagon SUC fans these days, we need as many UCLA fans as we can get.

Why does VB come across as one of those recent college grads that thinks they know everything while having very little information or experience. Maybe he can bring 5,000-10,000+ of his best friends to each game with him. Let VB worry about selling the stadium out without the team having a winning record - until then his comments are uninformed at best.

Until the winning seasons start taking place like SUC across town, bring on the School Kids with welcome arms! And VB, come to the blog with solutions rather than just problems. We'd all like to hear your solutions if you have any. (Do your boss a favor and use that advice in your professional life as well)

Okay, Anonymous, in response to your questions:

1) The kids that they give tickets to do not buy food from the Rose Bowl. The group that busses them up generally provides a meal for them before the game.

2) Okay, empty seats don't look good on television. But neither do 20,000 seats painted with every color of the rainbow consisting of kids who do not care about the game. It's quite obvious to the viewers at home that these rainbow colored seats are consisting of non-UCLA fans. And as far as your "empty seats" argument goes, half the alumni section leaves by the end of the third quarter to "beat traffic" anyway. What's the difference?

3) Again, recruits are not impressedby 20,000 screaming high school cheerleader and bandos who are not there to cheer for them team, but to merely perform at half-time. Plus, you ever notice how most of the cheerleaders never return to their seats after they perform? They all hang out in the concourse area until the game is over.

4) Good point, but take a close look this season and notice that a lot of kids we hand tickets to come to the game wearing USC gear and cheer for the opposing team. Great support.

5) In response to your last 2 paragraphs: My clan pays thousands upon thousands of dollars yearly for season tickets. We arrive at Lot H to tailgate at 5:00am for EVERY game. We stay for the ENTIRE game. We stand up and scream on EVERY third down while our boring alumni section tells us to "sit down." We make it to at least 2-3 away games per year, regardless of our chances of winning. We are sick to death by our poor progam and lukewarm fans. I'm sorry that my comments offend all of you. I understand if you guys aren't as passionate about the progam as I am. My comments may be brutally honest, but they are HONEST. If you are content with a sub-standard football program year in and year out, so be it.

As for my solutions. They are simple. It all starts with the fans. The reason our program is a joke and has been a joke is because our fans are lukewarm. We were proud of the fact that we averaged 75,000 in attendance last year. That is a joke over at USC. If you really want a great football program, we need to start tailgating early, staying the ENTIRE GAME, and being loud and not caring about "offending other people."

Keep trying to censor me guys. I thrive off of it.

Cheerleader day is by far the most annoying game of the season every year. The only thing entertaining is seeing half of them spin the wrong way during the dance routine.

I like the high school bands. Band geeks are enthusiastic in a much less annoying way, and I like hearing them all play the fight song together super loud.

And for the record. I appreciate and support what J-Dub is doing with his organization. It isn't him to gives the tickets to the bands and cheerleaders. He gives them to needy kids who actually enjoy going to the Rose Bowl to watch some football.

True. When the bands play the fight song during the half time show, it is pretty sweet hearing it that loud. Band day is actually tolerable. Cheerleader day is a joke to say the least.

I'm sorry VB...I read your entire post and haven't seen a single suggestion. No one is trying to censor you, we just want ideas instead of complaints. Your youth continues to show.

-What does "it starts with the fans" mean? How does that fill the stadium? How is that a solution. Where are these fans who want to buy tickets but can't seem to find out how?

-The kids do NOT get free meals when they come so they ARE paying for food and drinks when they are there. Even if only half of them buy a soda, that's 10,000 more sodas sold in a game. Do the math, that's probably around $40-$50k.

-Your arguing that 20,000 empty seats looks the same as 20,00 seats filled with different blocks of colors. To quote you, "What's the difference"? If you don't know the difference then you're confused.

-Recruits sit on the 50 yard line on the sunny side. They don't hang out on the concourse the entire time. It matters to them whether or not the stadium is full. Wonder why So Cal kids go play in the SEC? Go to a game in the SEC where the place is sold out on a season basis against the weakest teams. And then see a conference game half full at UCLA. BIG different to recruits.

-Can't help that a small percentage of those kids cheer for USC. What about the ones who become UCLA fans? No response to that.

-Your "clan" spending thousands of dollars doesn't make your complaining more valid.

I ask AGAIN, what solutions do you have to SELL those end zone seats instead of giving them away to school kids. Let me repeat that we aren't looking to censor you, just ideas and solutions. Your level of effort and support is encouraging for UCLA fans...it just needs to be directed for resolution instead of complaints. Your ideas are?

In sequential response to your comments:

1) When I say, "it starts with the fans," I'm referring to the blatant lackadaisical, almost comatose attitude many Bruin fans have toward our program. I know there well more than 90,000 Bruin fans in Southern California. Henceforth, there should be at least 80,000 Bruin fans attending each game. If fans would merely turn off their fairweather attitude and just support the team regardless of how we are doing, we would sell out each game. Once Neuheisel turns our program around and we start winning, watch how many games we sell out. Watch how many "Bruin fans" will come out of the woodwork, slap on a UCLA shirt, and attend a game. My point is merely this: Bruin fans need to come out and buy tickets to our games regardless of how well or how poor we are doing. Like I said, my clan has owned tickets for years and years and I have not missed ONE game. I was there for the 13-9 victory over USC in 2006, and I was there for the loss to Notre Dame in 2007. Stayed the entire game, and returned the next week with the same amount of support as always.

2) Fair enough. But how much of the $40-$50K do you think goes to UCLA? 10%? 20%? It took Guerrero up until this year to fork over some money for some decent coaches.

3) Okay, let's get this straight. I never said that 20,000 empty seats is the "same" as 20,000 painted seats. I said that it doesn't look any better to have rainbow endzone with 20,000 non-fans, half of which don't even watch the second half because they are hanging out in the concourse. And when I said "what's the difference," I was taking a jab at our comatose alumni who apparantly can't sit through an entire football game whether we're winning, tied, or losing.

4) Okay, again, I never said the RECRUITS hang out in the concourse. I said the bandos and cheerleaders hang out in the concourse after they perform at half-time. They apparantly were never there to watch a football game. They were there to give their 5 minute performance at halftime. Half their parents even leave after halftime. And your SEC argument is ridiculous because the SEC doesn't give away 20,000 tickets to local cheerleaders. Again, recruits aren't impressed with seats that are filled with non-fans.

5) You're right. The percentage that does convert to UCLA fanship is worth the pat on the back. However, it is kinda sad how we donate tickets to these kids, and some of them slap us in the face by wearing USC gear.

6) Actually, my clan's contributions to do in fact make my complaints more valid because the complaints are coming from a life-long, die-hard Bruin fan who wants to see the team he follows succeed. And he also wants to see his fellow fans step it up a bit.

7) Okay. I have no great 'solutions' as to how to sell tickets other than the fact that we need to start winning games. I know I'll be in my Tunnel 19 seats regardless of whether we are 0-12 or 12-0 every year. It's kinda sad that it's going to take winning seasons to get "Bruin fans" to show up at the football games. You keep arguing that empty seats look bad. Listen bro, when your team is 6-7 and losing to Notre Dame and Utah every year, the last thing we need to worry about is filling end-zone seats.

I find it absolutely amazing that a post, which I thought was positive and nice about something James Washington is doing for folks without all the advantages in life, has turned into what it has turned into. To me, it is very, very sad.

VB, please allow me to boil things down:

-Bruin fans "should" attend regardless of who is winning. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. (Remember how empty USC's stadium was during the Paul Hackett era? We aren't alone on this one.)

-You think recruits aren't impressed with a stadium full of "non-fans". (Semi-agreed. IF the alternative is an empty stadium? Then we should take the school kids...and you know it, just admit it - even if they annoy you.)

-UCLA only gets 10-20% of concessions, let's say on average 15% for an arguement standpoint. 6 games with an extra $50k per game is $300,000. 15% of that is $45k. Guerrero has a bottom line to manage as well. Can't pay for big coachs if you don't have the money. Usually the money comes first and then the big coaches - especially when the economy is in the dumps.

-Your clan's support is appreciated. But as a fellow season ticket holder myself, we're all in it together...and you aren't the only one who contributes tons of money. We can all compare our checkbooks and see who's where. I've been to every Pac-10 venue and even went to the Sun Bowl...so what? We're all UCLA fans and all want to bring the program up!

-We still have no answer on how to realistically fill the seats unless the team starts winning. Its just the way LA fans are. If SUC ever gets hit by the NCAA for the Reggie Bush problems or if Pete Carrol leaves...watch SUC's stadium empty and the proud tshirt wearers to diminish.

-When you're 6-7 and losing to Utah and BYU and a crappy FSU team, you do need to worry about the empty seats in the stadium. They help finance everything you want to accomplish on the field in terms of coaching, facilities, etc..and also help finance all the non-renueve generating sports that helps UCLA get to the glorious 103 NCAA titles. Think Women's Water Polo is able to support itself?

Go Bruins!

I think the exchange has just gotten off subject, nothing to diminish James Washington or his efforts.

You have to admit one thing though, Dohn. I have a knack for getting people to participate in posting comments.

However, out of respect toward you and J-Dub, I will not carry on this pointless debate any longer. I apologize for the apparent disrespect I have shown.

ANONYMOUS, you have vaild points. We are all Bruins here. I will agree that it is better to have bodies in the seats, even if they aren't Bruin fans. I just hope we can turn this program around in years to come.

Good to see rivals coming together for a good cause. Now, in the interest of continuing to work together, how about you guys send Chow back to us?

-PB