HONOLULU (KHON2) — If you have been to Honolulu’s airport recently, you may have noticed some new advertisements.
UC Berkeley is promoting its quarterback, local boy Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele, on large displays in the airport baggage claim.
Some local fans say the new ads are a sign of a growing challenge for local programs, like UH, to compete in a new way of doing business in college athletics.
“Clearly, you know, Jaron is being compensated for playing at Cal, and I think this is just a way of justifying those payments to him,” said Mike Kawazoe of the Rainbow Collective. “Obviously, we’re all proud of him, but it’s kind of just a step back, like a little bit of a shocker to see Cal logos everywhere at every baggage claim once you arrive back into Honolulu.”
The advertisements were paid for by Cal Athletics.
KHON2 reached out to the school, but has not commented on the ads or how much they cost.