Don’t get me wrong: I am very happy that UCLA home games are free for students now. I just feel like we’re not addressing the elephant in the room. How is this possible? And where is the money coming from? It’s actually pretty interesting.
Here’s a quick history lesson. UCLA’s athletic director until August 2026 a guy named Martin Jarmond. During his tenure, the athletic department accumulated a deficit of approximately $241 million over seven consecutive fiscal years. Chancellor Julio Frenk said that the financial situation was a reason for change, as UCLA has had to consistently bail the athletics department out of these fiscal failures. His replacement is former Lakers executive Tim Harris, who is now serving as UCLA’s CEO and director of athletics on a pro bono basis, meaning he is not being paid for the role.
As a precursor to his current “Fours Up, Fans First” campaign, which includes free regular-season home football and men’s and women’s basketball tickets for UCLA students, Harris personally paid for and gave away 300 tickets to UCLA’s game against San Diego State. High turnout for the UCLA v. Cal game created a high-energy environment that may have contributed to our sweep of the university’s football team — in their own home. And higher turnout being important to the outcome of the games has led Harris to take measures to increase turnout as much as possible. This is the reason why the games are free for UCLA students now.
But that brings us back to the original question: Where is the money coming from?
The answer is that it kind of pays for itself. More turnout is planned to bring in paying customers. The strategy is to use students as part of a larger effort to attract paying customers. By filling the stands with students and creating a more exciting game-day atmosphere, UCLA hopes to encourage more alumni, fans and other supporters to attend games and purchase tickets.
Harris has emphasized the importance of student participation, encouraging Bruins to “Arrive early. Be loud. Be relentless. We can’t wait to see a sea of Bruin Blue at the Rose Bowl this Saturday.” By building excitement around the games, the athletic department hopes to create a ripple effect: more students in the stands, a stronger atmosphere and more interest from paying fans and supporters.
Historically, universities have reduced budget deficits in athletic departments by reducing spending on non-revenue teams. A non-revenue team is one that does not bring in direct revenue, such as gymnastics and baseball. Often, these teams provide athletic scholarships and involve travel costs, running at a deficit. When universities do cut from non-revenue teams, it can create a strain on teams due to decreased conditions. It relieves me to say that the athletic department currently does not have plans for making any budget cuts, including for non-revenue sports teams.
Harris has a plan to address low attendance and help put the athletic department on a more sustainable financial path. As with Occam’s razor, sometimes the best solution is the simplest one. And sometimes two problems can be addressed with one solution. Now we just have to wait and see whether Tim Harris’ plan succeeds.