Troy Aikman Calls UCLA’s Attendance an ’Embarrassment’

Another poor fan showing at the Rose Bowl had a prominent alum up in arms.
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Former UCLA quarterback and current ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Troy Aikman took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon following the poor Rose Bowl attendance as UCLA beat South Alabama, 32–31.

Images of a largely empty Rose Bowl went viral once again Saturday, as the Bruins continue to struggle to fill seats for home football games.

“This is an embarrassment but we couldn’t fill the Rose Bowl in 1988 when we were the #1 team in the country,” Aikman wrote.

“Anyone else at UCLA think it’s time for an on-campus 30,000 seat stadium? Of course, if we can’t play better than we did today, it would be half-empty too,” Aikman continued.

UCLA’s season opener against Bowling Green attracted a mere 27,143 fans to the Rose Bowl, which set a stadium record for fewest fans.

UCLA is 3–0 as they begin their Pac-12 conference schedule on the road next Saturday against Colorado. The Bruins’ record is largely a result of a non-conference schedule. 

Even if UCLA continues winning football games the rest of the season, it’s hard to imagine fan support would at the Rose Bowl will improve given the first three weeks of the season.

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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.