Feature story on the Warriors

CSM = Christian Science Monitor

About the ha'a, Brad Kalilimoku said:
"It's calling out all the warriors and people of Hawaii to stand up and be ready because we're going into battle." (CSM)

CSM Note: "What makes Hawaii's pile-driving trajectory so remarkable is that, in an era of college athletics dominated by big bucks, the team's budget is just an iota of that of many of its competitors. Hawaii will face the No. 4-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, a team that earns the highest profit margin of any collegiate athletic program, according to 2006 data from the US Department of Education. Georgia's football program alone brings in more than $60.3 million in revenue compared to Hawaii's $7.5 million. Hawaii's underdog story is a nostalgic reminder of an era when a team's budget/deficit column wasn't correlated to its win/loss column."

About the budget disparity between UH and Georgia, David Carter, director of the Sports Business Institute at USC, said:
"There is typically a decided advantage for well-funded schools such as Georgia. In preparation for game day, these programs typically have better support for training and academics." (CSM)

About their budget, HF said:
"Everyone wants to talk about budget versus budget, but it comes down to student athletes versus student athletes. They will show that they are just as good as the athletes from the University of Georgia." (CSM)

About the importance of the BCS game to UH, Carter said:
"From Hawaii's perspective, the importance of this game is very significant because it helps them with branding, national notoriety, and recruiting." (CSM)

About their fans, JJ said:
"Our fans are cab drivers, cooks, maids, bus drivers, and cops. It's not like your normal college fans." (CSM)

CSM Note: "The desire to please fans inspired Kalilimoku and other Warriors to infuse native traditions into the team's rituals. The Warriors previously used a Polynesian Maori-language pregame chant known as the "haka," says Kalilimoku, who penned the lyrics. In a show of appreciation for Hawaiian cultures, the Warriors adopted the Hawaiian-language "ha'a" chant this year."

About the importance that UH has for Hawaii, Kalilimoku said:
"Other states have a lot of different schools and a lot of different football teams, but as Hawaii, we have one team." (CSM)

UH prebusiness sophomore Pono Frank said about the Warriors:
"No one cared about Hawaii football when I was growing up. Now, everyone follows it, and everyone is wearing green." (CSM)

CSM Note: "Paul Ayres, a Hawaii economics junior, went so far as to paint his body green and wear a grass hula skirt in the "Manoa Maniacs" student cheering section. "My buddies and I even lined up at 5 a.m. on the first day of season ticket sales so we could get front-row seats," he says."

CSM Note: "The team is hoping that its stellar season will result in a financial boost. John McNamara, Hawaii's associate athletics director of external affairs, says undergraduates may soon be required to pay a $75 yearly tuition fee which would go to Hawaii's athletic department and allow students to attend athletic events for free. With about 14,000 undergraduates, the proposed fee could bring in more than $1 million per year. But the plan may never come to fruition, as students have previously voted down proposed mandatory athletic fees. For Kalilimoku, a bigger budget could mean better locker rooms, better fields, and an indoor practice facility for muddy days."

About the student fee to support Athletics, Ayres said:
"I don't think most students are happy about it because it obviously means paying more money. But I try to see the bigger picture. If it helps us go undefeated and brings in more money for the school, I'm all for it." (CSM)