Are SMU FANS worst in the Country (We know Students are...)

[Nacho]

The ones that show up are the best. The others are the worst.

[PerunasHoof]

We aren't the worst but there is a ZERO chance we ever follow TCU to the P5-it ain't EVER happening and the biggest difference is the lack of a fanbase

Take a look at their attendance during the 90's/early 2000's before they were good. They were playing in a half-full stadium as well. Its amazing what winning will do (and now, playing in the Big 12 w/ real opponents) .

[skyscraper]

The ones still showing up are among the best.
But each week I watch and wonder how much longer this program can sustain year to year mediocrity or suckiness.
To me the biggest indictment of the disappearing fans was the Boulevard on Saturday. It should have been a mob scene with that weather (and the people who show up and never go inside) and there were still numerous empty stalls and it was easy to walk around.

[PonyTime]

Maybe we could try playing consistent, exciting, competitive football several seasons in a row...

Just keep waiting....this is all supposed to happen in 2-3 years!

Look...here is an article from 2000 alluding to all the good things just around the corner!

https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/horse-play/

From that article: "More humiliation came last year after it was rumored that both SMU and TCU—close rivals for 85 years—were leaving the WAC for the more streamlined Conference USA. But when the invitations came, only TCU got the bid. “We weren’t so upset about not going to Conference USA; it was just the pain of rejection,” says Johnston. To top it all off, more recruiting violations were discovered last year. Though they were attributed to a single assistant coach, who was fired, the specter of foul play took a significant toll on the recruiting class."

Was the Steve Malin scandal one of the primary factors in our being left in the WAC? TCU really was not a top 25 team until after this article.

[JasonB]

We aren't the worst but there is a ZERO chance we ever follow TCU to the P5-it ain't EVER happening and the biggest difference is the lack of a fanbase

Take a look at their attendance during the 90's/early 2000's before they were good. They were playing in a half-full stadium as well. Its amazing what winning will do (and now, playing in the Big 12 w/ real opponents) .

Exactly. The real perspective here is that it took 20 years for TCU to grow their fanbase with winning football. We haven't started our 20 year march yet.

[JoeKidd]

While I appreciate those who also show up week in and week out....most are still not what I would consider good fans. Its a very placid and genteel crowd; so much so that I can't even tell if they want the team to win or they're just there because they have tickets.

Even when its 3rd and 4th down in the 4th quarter and we're trying to hold onto a 3 point lead against a good Cincy team who was ranked the week before most act like its a huge chore to get on their feet and make some noise. Hell even UNT up the road seems to have a more engaged fan base these days and that school is notorious for their apathy towards sports (and in many cases academics as well).

Maybe its more winning, or better marketing or threatening the greeks to get off the BLVD and show up at the game or their houses will be taken away that will wake up the fan-base, but I don't think so. I've resigned myself to the fact that our fans whether they show up or not just mirror the part of Dallas where the campus sits and so vigorous outdoor engagements like cheering loudly at your alma maters football game on a beautiful fall Saturday is just too hard.

[Topper]

Maybe we could try playing consistent, exciting, competitive football several seasons in a row...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

After a nationally televised game during the Pony Express days Beano Cook opined that "SMU fans are not loyal" as the camera panned empty seats at Texas Stadium. Of course we could get a few games of 30K fans in the seats if we played teams that traveled well and with which our fans felt some sense of rivalry. Those teams don't really want to play at Ford when they can schedule a Dallas area appearance against another big opponent with national attention at Jerryworld.

[smitty329]

Are SMU fans and in particular worst in the country?

Student platform has now officially backfired due to LESS STUDENTS showing up. I counted 22 fans at start of 2nd half.

I am not sure that these sorry students and fans would show up if we were 8-0 heading into HC game vs. Houston.

I give up --- JOKE.

I assume you will be changing your member name to SMUgripe - I don't see a lot of hype in this post.

[ponyboy]

We aren't the worst but there is a ZERO chance we ever follow TCU to the P5-it ain't EVER happening and the biggest difference is the lack of a fanbase

Take a look at their attendance during the 90's/early 2000's before they were good. They were playing in a half-full stadium as well. Its amazing what winning will do (and now, playing in the Big 12 w/ real opponents) .

And I think Fort Worth is a college town where Dallas is not. There is a strong sense of unity there -- they *define* themselves in comparison/competition with Dallas -- with TCU more and more being a key rallying point since they've been winning and moving up.

We're just never going to have that. Dallas (which by the way doesn't even know Fort Worth exists) lacks the necessary, key defining culture outside of the physically tiny Park Cities to pull it off. No one says to themselves, by damn I'm a Dallasite and I support my local institutions. Culturally, we tear down institutions like eating french fries. Dallas is always what have you done for me lately. And SMU is so very elitist in feeling. Not the best way to build a loyal fan base.

In football. We've got all the ingredients for something really special in basketball. All of us here have seen that.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

A+ ponyboy

[PlanoStang]

We are #6 above the smallest universities in Div 1A The 3 military academies with 4400
students each, and maybe Rice and Tulane are below us.

Anybody starting topics like this one are just trolls

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

SMU Undergraduates: 6,452

Stanford Undergraduates: 7,062

Notre Dame: Undergraduates: 8,448

TCU: Undergraduates: 8,892

Wake Forest Undergraduates: 5,459

Vanderbilt Undergraduates: 6,885

[mrydel]

Tulsa 3,174

[PlanoStang]

We got kicked out of the SWC, and don't accumulate T-shirt fans anymore.
Except for Chad Morris

[Jackets N Pones]

The crowd at the Michigan game was awesome. Obviously helped Pones were putting up a fight on the field but I remember thinking how cool it would be if we brought that type of energy back to Ford. I think the fact we were all packed together in our small section brought us together. Feels so spread out at Ford I just want to pack one section at Ford and get crazy like we had it going in Ann Arbor. Name the section and I’ll be there. Let’s make it on the east side so cameras pick it up. I also think everyone on this thread should stand and sing the fight song when played by Mustang Band on Saturday. Gotta start somewhere.

As far as the students it has to be individual organizations representing at the games. Just assign one freshman dorm to each section of the stables and see who can get the loudest/craziest for the top prize. Boaz top left/McElvaney top right/Morrison-McGinnes bottom left/Cockrell-McIntosh bottom right. A generic “student” section is not going to work at SMU,it has to be the individual organizations stepping up. Also the students should be bringing dates to the games like the old days!!!