Blackistone actually writes a good article

[SMUstang]

I'll grant you that they do have support now. But they didn't in 1997. But they did something about it by working and by their attitude. They have added about 10,000 to their average game attendance currently versus what they were averaging in 1997. And that is a conservative estimate.

[Hoop Fan]

I'll grant you that they do have support now. But they didn't in 1997. But they did something about it by working and by their attitude. They have added about 10,000 to their average game attendance currently versus what they were averaging in 1997. And that is a conservative estimate.

I am not disagreeing with you one bit. All i am saying is that the article did not say that or imply that or even suggest SMU could do that.

[SouthernMustang]

The article points out some good facts, but it does so in a way that lends SMU no way to dig itself out of the hole. Is a dog that's been run over in the middle of the street and maimed beyond belief going to die? Yeah, but why point out the obvious? And why demand its owners to give it medical attention and to do everything possible to resuscitate it if that's impossible?

The basic jest of the article is, "SMU sucks -- they always should have. And it doesn't matter who their AD is, they always will."

And then it calls out for the students and alums to get behind this program and support it. Why? Why should they if it's a dead-beat program?

SMU students show up for 1-2 games, and then they learn that it's the "same ole" and they give up. Students at Vandy and Baylor show up to see Texas and Tennessee. Padding the schedule like they did this year is the BEST thing for student attendance. It may not be attractive to alums who are used to beating teams like Texas and A&M back when the dinosaurs still roamed the Hilltop (joking), but if the students start to see the team winning... they will show up. And you're trying to build new fans, and keep them interested, the way to do that is by winning.

The article puts this all on Turner -- when the persons with the ultimate power are the Faculty Senate. Call them out. Oh wait -- he'd have to know something about SMU in order to do that.

Also, take into consideration, that if SMU's student body and alums supported their sports teams in a comparable % to the big state schools. You'd still have around 12k in empty seats. It's up to the CITY OF DALLAS to fill in the rest.

Why does TCU fill up ACS better even in lean years? Because Fort Worth supports TCU. The problem with Dallas is there are too many metrosexual degree less [deleted] that can't afford tickets because they're too busy paying off their BMW leases, trendy bar tabs, and uptown apartments on $25k/year jobs.

Call out our SMU people, fine. But you should also call out the lackluster fans in your own d@mn city that can't even pay attention to more than 5 minutes of a basketball game without going to the Jack Daniels Lounge, or a baseball team that had a great run pre-All State break.

[mr. pony]

You got it right, Southern 'Stang.

Dallas is a p*ss poor college town. And it starts with the local media.

SMU can indeed be a top football program again. We must not concede that point.

[SMUstang]

Mr Pony, as Troy Aikman said. Dallas is a winners town. It doesn't matter whether it is pro football, pro basketball, pro hockey, or the Texas Longhorns, Dallas will jump on the bandwagon as long as they are winning. And the Dallas Morning News will follow suit. I'm not sure if SMU can pull itself up by it's bootstraps. It will take work and I don't see too many SMU alums willing to get their hands dirty.

[abezontar]

couldn't we pay to get someone else's hands dirty?

[mr. pony]

Nope, Dallas didn't even jump on when the Pony Express was kickin' everybodies a$$e$. Wouldn't you agree, The [deleted] and James were winners?

Dallas didn't support THOSE winners.

[SMUstang]

I would agree that the Pony Express was a winner. And no we didn't sell out Texas Stadium. But we did get 30,000 to 40,000 fans to the games, depending on who we were playing, which is a lot more than we are getting now. By the time the Pony Express came along, Dallas had become entrenched as a pro sports town. Ford Stadium's capacity of 32,000 is about right for us. And if we could close to sell it out for our home games we would be successful. It is an embarrassment to see all of those empty seats in a 32,000 seat stadium.