In Reply to: From Plaschke 'Shame on UCLA for trying to ditch... posted by BrewNGold on November 20, 2025 at 12:14:58
...but, I am not sure leaving the Rose Bowl is that big of a deal. Look, I get why people are upset. I myself have been attending games there since the late 80's. All my UCLA football memories are from there. That being said, maybe it is time for a change.
The negatives of the Rose Bowl have been well documented here. Too far away from campus, too big (outside of the big football programs it is hard to fill 80K seats unless you are winning big and as you may have noticed we have not done that since 1998), outdated.
Then there are the positives. Great tradition and history. Great for tailgating. Has a great atmosphere when it is full (a rare event these days).
All that being said I know the tradition and history of the RB is a big deal to us, but I am guessing it is not to the players we are recruiting. Heck, most of them were not even born the last time the team was really good. I would think a place like SoFi would resonate with them more and might help recruiting. It also has a 60K-70K capacity so we don't have to fill as many seats. I am guessing the concessions are also better than the RB. Then of course there is the distance factor.
I am not saying SoFi is the answer, but I get why the admin might want to find a stadium other than the RB.
Maybe we can squeeze a stadium in between Powell Library and Royce Hall. :)