Stephen Tsai: University of Hawaii should keep asking to get fans in the stands

There is an art to the ask.

In setting annual budgets, company managers have learned to propose a lot with the hope The Boss will approve a few.

“Shave ice machine? No.”

“Gym memberships? Keep dreaming.”

“Lumbar-support chairs? Hmm, not a bad idea …”

Mayor Rick Blangiardi is the manager of a great county, but he sorta-sorta answers to a higher power. He also is a former University of Hawaii football player and coach, creator of a television station that brought Rainbow Warrior and Rainbow Wahine sports into our living rooms, and is an inductee into the UH Circle of Honor. He has an affinity for UH sports, a respect for the importance of revenues, and knows there is a reasonable way for a limited number of fans to attend sporting events or else those programs will eventually go make die dead.

In his next meeting with the state’s leaders, Blangiardi needs to — once again — forcefully endorse UH’s plan on how to safely serve as host to sporting events. He can whip out pie charts or video presentations that show that fans with proof of vaccination who wear masks and don’t sit in clusters can attend a partially filled outdoor facility.

As an example, for seven hours two days ago, I was at an indoor gathering with about 300 others, almost all of whom I did not know. We were elbow-to-elbow, and enjoyed food and beverages. But we all were certified as being vaccinated or testing negative, wore masks, sneaked bites of food as if we were at a church service, and cupped our drinks the way we would when the office’s spit-talker came close. We felt safe and comfortable. And when it was time to leave, the pilot thanked us for choosing his airline.

We know it is safe for airlines to bring thousands of visitors to Hawaii every day. After all, our government vets with an app called Safe Travels Hawaii. If the state endorses airlines’ screening process, why are the same standards not good enough to gain entry into a UH sporting event? For Friday’s women’s volleyball match, UH offered to cap attendance at 150 in 10,000-seat SimpliFi Arena. That is half the capacity for a 300-seat Boeing 777.

We always hear about optics. Translation: If UH sporting events were allowed spectators, why can’t Cousin throw a baby luau? Best answer: If Cousin can assure a mask-wearing, vaccinated/negative-tested guest list, then, sure, go ahead and order the bouncy house.

For now, UH fans must wait for a double-secret goal to be reached, even though neither a UH sporting event nor an airline has contributed to super spreading. This is the “Minority Report” theme where UH is being prosecuted for a crime it might commit in the future.

It would be a shame if spectators were banned for this Saturday’s football game. It is against rival Fresno State — and it’s been deemed UH’s homecoming.

Maybe the mayor can fire off last-ditch recommendations to allow spectators. At the least, UH might get a shave ice machine out of it.