Can SMU Afford a Bowl Game?

[PlanoStang]

Maybe this is why it's Copeland's dream to go 5-6, or 6-5 every season.
http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/23/comment ... /index.htm

[Charleston Pony]

If SMU eventually makes it to a bowl game, I'd like to think we won't be paying two coaching staffs. I assume CUSA has the same arrangement as most conferences and that those minimal bowl payouts of $750k go entirely to the participating school (no share to conference revenue sharing pools). SMU probably would not recoup the ticket guarantee, but our "posse" would be small and as long as the trip isn't to Hawaii, I'd like to think it would be a break even deal at worst.

[PlanoStang]

If SMU eventually makes it to a bowl game, I'd like to think we won't be paying two coaching staffs. I assume CUSA has the same arrangement as most conferences and that those minimal bowl payouts of $750k go entirely to the participating school (no share to conference revenue sharing pools). SMU probably would not recoup the ticket guarantee, but our "posse" would be small and as long as the trip isn't to Hawaii, I'd like to think it would be a break even deal at worst.

Don't really know what the C-USA bowl revenue arrangements are. Really
think that they're shared with conference members. Does that mean
profits after sending your team/band aka posse to the bowl

Yup, you'd like to think that at least we'd break even, but TICKET
GUARANTEES sound like paying for daughter's GREAT locally performed
song to be recorded, and distributed to radio stations.

[ponyte]

Can SMU afford a bowl game? I sure would like to find out. After we have been to a couple of bowls and find out we are losing money, then we can start declining bowl invitations. But please. Lets not worry about bowl budget until we have some hard data as to the true financial impact.

[RGV Pony]

I remember reading where the Maloof family bought up the difference when New Mexico couldn't meet its guarantee for the Las Vegas Bowl a couple of years ago. The newspaper then ran an ad telling fans they could have $15 tickets if they showed up at such and such hotel.

Similarly, I recall TTech playing in one of the Florida bowls, and some alum had to step in late and cough up something like 400k for the band to go. At least our band won't be nearly as expensive to travel!

On the topic of posse, does anybody wonder who will be roaming our sidelines at our next big-time bowl game? Laura Bush? ED? Paige Davis? Lamar Hunt? Kelan Luker (can't think of any popular pop/country/rock stars so he'll have to do)?

[Dutch]

On the topic of posse, does anybody wonder who will be roaming our sidelines at our next big-time bowl game? Laura Bush? ED? Paige Davis? Lamar Hunt? Kelan Luker (can't think of any popular pop/country/rock stars so he'll have to do)?

Dickerson and Craig James! f'em.

i loved seeing Craig throw out his hook'em hand gesture with his SMU SWC ring on. what a jaggoff.

[mrydel]

Can SMU afford a bowl game? I sure would like to find out. After we have been to a couple of bowls and find out we are losing money, then we can start declining bowl invitations. But please. Lets not worry about bowl budget until we have some hard data as to the true financial impact.

Maybe we could start paying to get players that could assure us of not getting into bowl games so we would not have to worry about the possibiity of losing money. ( in the words of Ponyte...sarcasm off)

If we got into a bowl game for a couple of years in a row, even if and probably so, a low paying bowl, any "lost" revenue would be made up for in increased ticket sales and other sports related revenues I am sure.

[MrMustang1965]

On the topic of posse, does anybody wonder who will be roaming our sidelines at our next big-time bowl game? Laura Bush? ED? Paige Davis? Lamar Hunt? Kelan Luker (can't think of any popular pop/country/rock stars so he'll have to do)?

Please, God. Don't let it be Kathy Bates!

How 'bout Bill Fagerbakke (Dawber from 'Coach') in the celebrity category?

In the athletic category, Jerry LeVias should be there...no debate necessary.

[ponyte]

Maybe we could start paying to get players that could assure us of not getting into bowl games so we would not have to worry about the possibiity of losing money. ( in the words of Ponyte...sarcasm off)

Actually that is a great idea. No sarcasm. If we are so afraid that by winning we may actually lose (money), then maybe it is time to embrace the Pye model and just become perpetual losers! Think of all the money we will save by not going bowling!

Personally, I hope that we accept the inevitable financial disaster that comes with a bowl and got invited to a post season game just one more time in my life. I would love nothing more than to be in the stands of a post season game and see my beloved Mustangs on the field.

[mrydel]

Wednesday night my son-in-law from Llano,Tx was sitting in the Rose Bowl. His wife (my daughter) was unfortunately unable to attend due to being 8 1/2 months pregnant. It hurt enough (although I was happy for him) to know the joy he was having and the fact SMU has not sniffed a bowl game anywhere in years, but then I learned my other daughter, Texas Tech grad and in dental school at NYU hopped on a plane and went also just to enjoy the feeling of a National Championship game. I want to go to a bowl game. And I want SMU to be in it. Shreveport will delight me, New Orleans would make me ecstatic, Fort Worth would be worth it. Just get us in a bowl game and lets go from there.

[jtstang]

If we are so afraid that by winning we may actually lose (money), then maybe it is time to embrace the Pye model and just become perpetual losers!

Hello??

[ponyte]

If we are so afraid that by winning we may actually lose (money), then maybe it is time to embrace the Pye model and just become perpetual losers!

Hello??

I can see that I will need to include the "Sarcasm off" comment again. I apologize as my attempt at sarcasm was confusing to some.

[jtstang]

It's okay, I got it. I just couldn't resist.

[BrianTinBigD]

Can't see why the Mustang Club could not find a way to create our own bowl like TCU did. There have to be several local companies that we could find to pony up the $2mil a year for the 2 teams, force ticket guarantees of 15,000 per team at $40 a ticket that generates another $1.2mil and offer the game up to ESPN for whatever they can get for ad revenue minus their costs and take a % of the profit. That way if we are bowl eligible we get to stay at home and take the $1mil since our costs are minimal and anything else that is made goes to the Mustang Club. This seems like a pretty good way to dredge up some easy money for SMU football. Besides the fact that Ford would be full, is a decent facility, and Dallas has got to be more impressive a location than Boise, Detroit, Charlotte, Ft. Worth, or Mobile.

[PK]

There are already waaaay too many bowls as it is. I think some of these minor bowls including the Ft Worth bowl will eventually go away. Who really wants to watch two 6-5 teams play each other except for their few thousand fans. Other than the fact that ESPN has to fill up their broadcast time with something...who gives a rat's pututi about them.