You know, just recently, how Pat McAfee was so fired up about Rich Rodriguez suiting it up at West Virginia, with his iconic roll cry, “Spot the ball, and get the f- out of the way.” Yeah, that sweet chorus, molding every rep on the turf. Being a WVU alum himself, McAfee got nostalgic. Now, another football program has got emotions rolling off him. Was he teary-eyed? One could say so. For it wasn’t just another football headline, it was more than that, something personal.

For a long time, Hawaii football fought uphill battles, from gruelling travelling schedules and budget restraints, the Rainbow Warriors trudged through it all. Fans had long been eager to get an update regarding the Aloha Stadium, which was closed due to safety concerns,  and now, they got a $400 million surprise bag. So, what’s the new scoop? The old complex will be demolished, and a shiny new upgrade will be constructed.

Obviously, Pat McAfee couldn’t hide his excitement. “Hawaii has approved plans to build a new Aloha stadium; That place is my favourite island,” he captioned his X post. For McAfee, there’s an emotional string attached, one which is stitched directly into Hawaii’s football fabric. During the Pat McAfee Show, he struck up a conversation regarding this topic with his guests. “(Hawaii)…has approved plans for a new stadium; Have you heard about this?” he started as he zoomed in on the details.

“Front Office Sports has reported, Hawaii has approved plans to build a new Aloha Stadium. The state will contribute $400 million for the new 22,500-seat home of the Rainbow Warriors football. Warriors, football, set be completed in 2029,” said McAfee. Well, why is he so invested in this project? Surely, this isn’t the only stadium upgradation project coming up. Kansas is getting a major boost with its $300 million establishment, Penn State’s Beaver Stadium is getting upgrades, and others as well. What makes the Aloha Stadium important to our analyst here? That’s because he is heavily invested, interested, and eager for the Warriors to succeed.

“Every year. I’m hoping they get really good. And there’s every year there’s a chance I’m like, come on now, let’s go. I’ve been out there. Obviously, a lot. I’ve been in Hawaii. I run into a lot of Hawaii fans out there. I think I know a couple of the assistant coaches. I think I’ve run into them at different places out there. That place is my favorite Island,” he went on as he painted his emotions, hoping the best for the Rainbow Warriors.

Furthermore, McAfee expressed his wish to broadcast a couple of his shows straight from Honolulu. “And if we could just so happen, you know, to accidentally have to do a couple of days out there of this show leading up to potential Saturday show out there, it’s like, it’s okay, that’d be okay.” He is fired up on receiving the news of the new infrastructure. “So I’m happy to get a new stadium. I don’t know how they’ll ever be successful,” he wondered. Last season, the Warriors tallied a 5-7 overall record.

Pat McAfee continued. “You know, like, I know they work that traveling is insane, and if they’re ever able to get good I’ll be happy and pumped for the entire island, but I’m pulling for it.” And yeah, that travel part. It takes a huge toll on the players. Cross-country travel has become a common occurrence, spanning multiple time zones. And the geographical location of the island, from the mainland, eats up a lot of time while travelling. Not to forget the stretched-out financial crunch. Well, last season, at home games, Hawaii wrapped up with a 4-3 record, but the away games saw a 1-4 record. Just a couple of stats for you to mull over. So, what else does the new stadium consist of, and by when will it all be set?

What’s $400 million upgrade that has got Pat McAfee all fired up?

The Aloha Stadium was closed down in 2020 due to safety concerns. So, the Warriors made camp at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics’ Complex for the past couple of years, which has a capacity of around 15,000 seats. But the wait is finally over. The Aloha Stadium Authority Board just gave a green light to the Aloha Halawa Development Partners to hit the ground. (No pun intended).

“We’ve come so far just to get started,” Stadium Authority chair Eric Fujimoto said after the vote. “Today we met the challenge. Today we’re starting our journey.” The stadium will be demolished methodically over the next ten months, which, as stated by former Stadium Authority chair Brennon Morioka, will reduce the costs by $90 million. Also, they could use some of the old foundations.

Meanwhile, fans are a bit disappointed because the completion date, which was earlier scheduled for 2028, was pushed further to 2029. Seat reduction from 25,000 to 22,5000 is also expected, which is a staggering half of the previous 50,000 seats in the old infrastructure. However, the future seat expansion option remains open. On the brighter side, it opens up a different next-level experience for the fans. Yes, the seats have been reduced, but 10 luxury boxes will be constructed to offer a premium experience. But the wait till 2029 is gonna be worth it because in college football, there’s nothing that compares to the sweet homecoming.