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Former UCLA DB Matt Ware has idea to energize listlesss Rose Bowl crowds

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Bolch, B. (2026, September 22). Former UCLA DB Matt Ware has idea to energize listlesss Rose Bowl crowds. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/22/sports/ucla-alumnus-new-rose-bowl-fan-gesture-next-wave/

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New York Post · collected 2026-09-22 · by Ben Bolch

Quick Summary

Matt Ware, a former UCLA defensive back, has proposed a new fan engagement initiative called "Fours Up" to invigorate crowds at UCLA football games. The gesture involves fans raising four fingers and chanting “Fours Up!” before key moments in the game. Ware hopes this will create an energetic atmosphere similar to other popular team chants like Florida State’s tomahawk chop or Alabama’s “Roll Tide.” His brother Aaron, a former UCLA running back, plans to introduce this tradition at the upcoming home game against Wisconsin on October 17.
Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Matt Ware, a former UCLA and NFL defensive back, has proposed a new chant called "Fours-Up" to energize Rose Bowl crowds during home games. In a video posted on social media, Ware suggests fans use a hand gesture with four fingers raised while shouting the chant at key moments like before the team enters the field and during big plays. Inspired by similar traditions at Florida State or Alabama, he hopes it will become as popular as those teams' chants. Although Ware cannot attend every home game due to living in Queen Creek, Arizona, his brother Aaron, a former UCLA running back, and his wife Caity, a former Bruins yell leader, plan to initiate the tradition at an upcoming Wisconsin game on October 17th. The goal is for this new tradition to grow organically among fans like a wave effect.

Written for “Rose Bowl Attendance Boost Idea” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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📰 Rose Bowl Attendance Boost Idea
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

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Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15765 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Ben Bolch
64 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Lincoln Riley couldn’t help himself.
🔮 The big question is if they will be one of the top eight teams, which would put them in position to host a first-round game at the Rose Bowl.
🔮 Among the many theories as to why they could upset second-ranked Ohio State: The Buckeyes will start either a true freshman or a redshirt freshman at quarterback after Julian Sayin suffered a severe shoulder injury.
🔮 “You raised the standard,” Chesney told his players last week, “of what it means to play football here – the physical nature, the disciplined nature, the tough and nasty f—ing nature that will play all the way to the whistle on every single play.
🔮 It also sparked speculation about Riley’s fit at a place where he wasn’t hired by athletic director Jen Cohen as well as his possible desire to go somewhere else that might offer an easier path to the CFP.
🔮 The final frontier for UCLA’s undefeated football team might be getting more assertive – in connecting with classmates.
🔮 In the game that could be dubbed Lincoln Riley’s Last Stand, the Trojans will need to upset the Buckeyes to sustain not only their flickering College Football Playoff hopes but also any belief in their beleaguered coach.
🔮 As Ty Dieffenbach finally caught up to the Spartans’ Nikai Martinez around the Bruins’ 22-yard line Saturday afternoon, he made contact, holding Martinez up until his teammates could arrive to make the tackle.
🔮 Maybe it was the fact that Michigan State was down to its third-string quarterback, a freshman who had never thrown a pass in college.
🔮 If Dieffenbach is unable to return, the Bruins would turn to Madden Iamaleava, the younger brother of Nico Iamaleava.
Also by Ben Bolch
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 64 articles by Ben Bolch →

Topics

Bruin Nation Bruins NFL Rose Bowl UCLA

Subjects

Ware PERSON · 9× UCLA ORG · 4× Aaron PERSON · 2× Bruins ORG · 2× Jaleel Wadood PERSON · 2× NFL ORG · 2× Alabama ORG · 1× Bruin Nation ORG · 1× Florida State’s ORG · 1× Matt Ware PERSON · 1×

Narrative

“I was thinking, man we don’t have to get rid of the old chants, they definitely have their place,” Ware told the Post, “but to get a more cohesive and enthusiastic chant from the crowd would be awesome and keeping it nice and short with the Fours-Up helps the people from the TikTok era.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22
🔮 The hope is that the chant could catch on like Florida State’s tomahawk chop or Alabama fans yelling “Roll Tide!”
2026-09-22 · New York Post
Former UCLA DB Matt Ware has idea to energize listlesss Rose Bowl crowds · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 1 hedged)

Matt Ware wants to super-charge UCLA’s Rose Bowl crowds – via the school’s iconic hand signal. asserted
Ware → want → signal
In a video he posted to his social media accounts, the former Bruins and NFL defensive back asked fans to mimic a new gesture in which he and his family members thrust four fingers into the air while repeatedly saying, “Fours Up!” asserted
he → post → Fours
“Bruin Nation,” Ware says in the video while wearing a UCLA basketball jersey, “we have a brand-new coach, we need to start some new traditions. asserted
we → say → traditions
We’ve got to get the fans involved.” asserted
fans → get → ?
Ware wants fans to unleash the hand signal and accompanying “Fours Up!” chant before the team comes out of the tunnel before the game, during the opening kickoff, on third downs and other big plays. asserted
team → want → downs
The hope is that the chant could catch on like Florida State’s tomahawk chop or Alabama fans yelling “Roll Tide!” uncertain
fans → catch → Tide
While Ware can’t be at every home game because he lives in Queen Creek, Ariz., his brother Aaron – a former UCLA running back – and Aaron’s wife Caity – a former Bruins yell leader – are planning to get it started at the next home game against Wisconsin on Oct. 17. asserted
it → live → Oct.
“It will grow just like the wave,” Ware told the California Post in an exclusive interview, adding that he wanted to energize home crowds after watching the yell leaders struggling to get fans’ attention. asserted
leaders → grow → attention
Seeing the school’s eight-clap being performed “way too fast” during recent home games, Ware realized that most of the fans at the Rose Bowl weren’t around to learn the proper cadence from legendary yell leader Geof Strand, who hasn’t performed in more than a decade. asserted
who → see → decade
“I was thinking, man we don’t have to get rid of the old chants, they definitely have their place,” Ware told the Post, “but to get a more cohesive and enthusiastic chant from the crowd would be awesome and keeping it nice and short with the Fours-Up helps the people from the TikTok era.” asserted
keeping → think → era
That definitely doesn’t include Ware, who will turn 44 in December. asserted
who → include → December
Ware made eight interceptions during his three seasons at UCLA from 2001-03 before spending seven seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. asserted
Ware → make → Eagles
The Fours Up hand signal – four fingers on each hand extended with the thumb tucked in – originated in 2013 as the creation of defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin – whose son Cole is currently on the team – and defensive back Jaleel Wadood. asserted
son → extend → team
“’Coach Meat’ and Jaleel Wadood started something that is used everyday in social media, so why not transfer it to the stadium experience?” Ware said. asserted
Ware → start → experience
“I want this to take the energy to a 100 whether the crowd is 45,000 or 85,000. asserted
crowd → want → 100
“Point-blank, it becomes a one-city, one-team family mentality – short and powerful. asserted
it → become → ?
Conversely, after doing the Fours Up chant, it will make transitioning into anything else like the eight-clap easier because everyone is already engaged.” asserted
everyone → do → clap
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