RICK HART: Where in the HELL are our FANS --- STUDENTS????

[SoCal_Pony]

Obviously many on here feel that you are entitled to a "great product" before you'll support the program. Deal with it-you are the typical [deleted] SMU fan and a major reason this program ain't going anywhere.

Bringing FB into this does defeat the purpose of this argument, but since you did...that is F'in laughable and you know it.

Over the past 30 years, some 125 schools have participated at the D1 level. SMU is at the very bottom of that list, residing with Buffalo, Kent, New Mex St. and East Michigan. Tier 3 and Tier 4 Schools with ZERO history compared to us, ZERO financial backing compared to us, schools located in relative outposts compared to the epicenter of HS football.

Entitled to a 'Great Product' my a$$ss, more like SMU alumni at one point or another, finally put off by complete, total,thorough incompetency.

SMU has more NFL HOF members than A&M, Arkansas, LSU, UT or OU. That is our history.
SMU, Kent and Buffalo. That is our reality.

[SoCal_Pony]

The issue should be framed as follows: Are SMU's alumni, family and friends willing to pay the price (ie cash) necessary for SMU to compete on a nationally competitive level with the prospect that its going to get incrementally more expensive each year into the future. I think the answer for a long time has been-right or wrong-good or bad-that its likely not economically viable for SMU to compete at a national level over the long term and therefore we will compete at the level we can afford based upon an abysmal fan base.

The issue is not so much that some have been priced out of the market-that's a fair and reasonable reason to stop going to games-the issue is whether there are enough SMU fans to make it viable at required nationally competitive funding levels

I posted this a few years ago, back during the LB era:

In the past 5 weeks, SMU has defeated 3 ranked teams.

From 1988 until Brown's arrival in 2012, SMU BB went 2-54 against ranked teams.

Post-DP, SMU FB has only defeated 2 ranked teams (TCU PB era / TCU JJ era). The last win against a ranked team prior to those 2 victories was most likely the UT trouncing (44-14) @ Texas Stadium back in 1985. That's almost 30 years. Assuming SMU played ~1.5 ranked teams per year, this would equate to a 2-46 record against ranked teams after the UT win.

Add the BB & FB records together and SMU was 4-100 against ranked programs prior to LB's arrival.

We are now 3-0 in 5 weeks.

Simply amazing and once again, THANK YOU LB!!!

There is a right way and a wrong way to approach this. Given our history, the re-seat was done the wrong way, right in teeth of a monumental downturn that a recruiting guru such as yourself surely spotted a mile away.

[ponyboy]

Dang. Not messin’ With So Cal today

[Charleston Pony]

So all we need to do is hire Hall of Fame coaches. Who did you have in mind...and who writes the check?

[mtrout]

We had one / have one sitting in town. Fudging his situation up was a more egregious error than the reseat IMO. The combination of both mistakes is immeasurable.

[ObeyMyDog]

So all we need to do is hire Hall of Fame coaches. Who did you have in mind...and who writes the check?

No, all you have to do is hire any competent replacement after a legendary coach fell in your lap and wrapped up a bow on a top 25 program and handed it you

[mustangxc]

We had one / have one sitting in town. Fudging his situation up was a more egregious error than the reseat IMO. The combination of both mistakes is immeasurable.

What unemployed hall of fame basketball coach lives in Dallas?

[DiamondM]

Look, I'm not happy about the crowd, the team's performance, the schedule, or the reseat either, but I don't get the problem with the tweet.

I’ll tell you my problem with his tweet.

It’s called deflecting.

HE, RICK HART, is the reason a rather substantial amount of die-hard SMU supporters are now turned off by the BB program. HE, RICK HART, orchestrated a re-seat at the worst possible time IF one was looking out for the best long-term interests of this school.

As I said, you are both right.

[Blunt Pony]

Tickets available for $6 for the TCU game right now.

Defenders of the reseat like to throw out market rate...Here is what market rate is now. Depressing. Market rate is also $10 tickets and $10 food vouchers to get people to see this garbage non-conference schedule.

[PonyTime]

We had one / have one sitting in town. Fudging his situation up was a more egregious error than the reseat IMO. The combination of both mistakes is immeasurable.

What unemployed hall of fame basketball coach lives in Dallas?

Since Don Nelson moved to Hawaii to grow Pot on his farm, I am guessing Robert Hughes Sr. - but he lives in Ft. Worth and is 90 years old.

[Dutch]

We had one / have one sitting in town. Fudging his situation up was a more egregious error than the reseat IMO. The combination of both mistakes is immeasurable.

What unemployed hall of fame basketball coach lives in Dallas?

larry lives here. he's been at practices a bunch this fall.

[PonyKai]

We had one / have one sitting in town. Fudging his situation up was a more egregious error than the reseat IMO. The combination of both mistakes is immeasurable.

Don't think you can really say SMU fudged up the Larry situation. He's left every single job he has ever had, 99% of the time on his terms, and more often than not for bizarre reasons. He did a bunch of stuff that put the program on thin ice. Other party wanted to protect itself. Reasonable. Larry balked, and left, like every single person knew he would. That he was here as long as he was is a minor miracle. Remember the day he announced he quit? Timing said it all. Right before July evals and the morning after the horrific police shootings in Dallas.

I'd still fire Jank today, re-hire him as interim in a nano-second, and pursue a replacement in the off-season. Won't happen, but makes perfect sense. Press release writes itself.

[ponypatrick]

Poor little privileged, entitittled SMU fans and students.

The Big Horse is totally disconnected from reality , just like Hart.............but I'm not surprised

[ponypatrick]

95% of SMU kids are trust fund superheroes who are simply looking for the next party. They will never care.

Not anywhere near the truth anymore...........approx. 2/3 of undergrad population are on some type
of financial assistance.

[ponypatrick]

Look, I'm not happy about the crowd, the team's performance, the schedule, or the reseat either, but I don't get the problem with the tweet. It's true that fans of most programs, like us, show up based on the situation --- a high profile opponent, the current winning streak, day of the week, what's on tv, etc. If you watch most mid-week, early season games on tv that aren't against "name" programs, and there are tons of empty seats (many other schools have the same issue). Rick's point is that what differentiates next level programs is that many more -- not necessarily all -- of their fans (especially students) show up on Tuesday nights against the nearby directional school or low major.

So there is absolutely nothing wrong about Rick's tweet. It's correct, but incomplete because it's the same chicken and egg issue. Does commitment by the fans to show up no matter what make recruiting and performance better? Yes. Does better recruiting and performance on the court, and loyalty by the program to the committed fans, engender that commitment to show up? Also yes. It's not one or the other. Both are necessary. So personally, I don't have a problem with Rick calling folks out to show up and act like a next level fan base. I also don't have a problem with fans (particularly the ones who are still showing up) calling SMU out for not meeting its part of the bargain.

So , what political office are you running for ?