Orsini on ESPN Blog

by **skyscraper** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 3:48 pm

Glad he's calling people out. SMU's alums need a wake up call.
But, as had been repeated numerous times in countless threads on here, the lack of marketing from the athletic department is a joke.
They have to do something to drive ticket sales, too. Not just yard signs with the $500 left over after paying for the weekly TV show.

by **Nacho** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:31 pm

it's not about marketing
it's about winning and playing good teams. we play a ho hum schedule.
chirp chirp for nortwestern st.
we are in cusa so we can't do anything about that but we need some good (name) teams to come to ford.

by **Mitch McConnell** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:41 pm

I have no problem with the Northwestern St. game. Every school plays a tune-up on its home schedule. You need it. You can't kill yourself for 12 straight weeks. You need this type of game and a bye in your season. The rest of the home schedule is not attractive. Heck, you could say CUSA is not attractive -- period.

But winning consistently and in dominating fashion will make it move. I will say that sometimes people are a little behind when a program is coming around. So I will allow for a little latitude. I've heard we're at about 7,000 tickets. If we play well/upset A&M, then you could get some last-minute buys and better walkup crowds.

I'm not trying overplay this, but I really believe 2011 is going to be a defining year for SMU football and its entire athletics program.

This is why should SMU win the CUSA championship, we need to be in Memphis and not farting around in Hawaii because our drama queen head coach wants to put his agenda before the school's agenda.

Playing in Memphis represents you've really done something and YOU ARE TELLING PEOPLE THAT YOUR ARE THAT CONFERENCE'S BEST TEAM. If you go to Hawaii, everyone say, "meh, it's another bowl game and that championship has lost its luster.

Should be an interesting year.

by **JasonB** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:46 pm

Winning cures cancer. Period.

We have gone through stage one of the improvement - successful seasons, bowl games. And that resulted in a 50% increase in attendance from 3 years ago.

The next step is getting to that double-digit win level. Once there, we get national pub, and everything takes care of itself. People will come out and watch us play against CCCC once we are nationally recognized and a really good team.

So lets worry about winning first and the attendance will follow.

by **PonyKai** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:58 pm

Lazy. Fu*&#ng. Alumni.

by PK » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:15 pm

Don't forget that we had 20+ years of crappy football and basketball for the most part. The alums who graduated during those years never got involved with SMU athletics. In fact SMU did not even attract the type of students who would be inclined to be involved during those years because SMU athletics were so bad. Why not instead of only giving away free tickets to kids in south Dallas, why not send a pair of tickets to all SMU alums in the Dallas area and get them into the stadium. They may at least come back to the next game on their own where as the kids probably won't be able to afford to.

TCU is located in Fort Worth and the folks who live in Fort Worth feel a connection to TCU because of that. We are in University Park. The folks in Dallas do not feel a connection to the Park Cities and by association SMU. It is totally beyond belief that this Athletic Department administration does not understand the need for true marketing. You need more effort them standing around HOPING winning more games will bring them in.

by **SMUer** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:15 pm

*Snickers*

I'm imagining Steve Orsini disparaging the "flat" season ticket sales on the phone, while looking from his desk across the hall at an empty marketing department which he completely dismantled three years ago, television and radio ad champagnes crumbled in the trash, with contracts for previous/current home games against Texas State, Northwestern State, Stephen F Austin filed neatly in folders and a future contract with North Texas on top of his desk; beside this two memos: one outlining the details of the season ticket price increases and required donation levels throughout the home side of the stadium, the other mentioning another "yard sign" campaign for the upcoming season. Also, on his desk is a resume for the game day production director position. This person has never worked on a football game day production team in his life and appears to have no similar experience. This person will probably be hired.

by **03Mustang** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:20 pm

SMUer wrote:*Snickers*

I'm imagining Steve Orsini disparaging the "flat" season ticket sales on the phone, while looking from his desk across the hall at an empty marketing department which he completely dismantled three years ago, television and radio ad champagnes crumbled in the trash, with contracts for previous/current home games against Texas State, Northwestern State, Stephen F Austin filed neatly in folders and a future contract with North Texas on top of his desk; beside this two memos: one outlining the details of the season ticket price increases and required donation levels throughout the home side of the stadium, the other mentioning another "yard sign" campaign for the upcoming season. Also, on his desk is a resume for the game day production director position. This person has never worked on a football game day production team in his life and appears to have no similar experience. This person will probably be hired.

Great post. Don't forget the "no re-entry" sign over his door.

by **mrydel** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:32 pm

SMUer wrote:*Snickers*

I'm imagining Steve Orsini disparaging the "flat" season ticket sales on the phone, while looking from his desk across the hall at an empty marketing department which he completely dismantled three years ago, television and radio ad champagnes crumbled in the trash, with contracts for previous/current home games against Texas State, Northwestern State, Stephen F Austin filed neatly in folders and a future contract with North Texas on top of his desk; beside this two memos: one outlining the details of the season ticket price increases and required donation levels throughout the home side of the stadium, the other mentioning another "yard sign" campaign for the upcoming season. Also, on his desk is a resume for the game day production director position. This person has never worked on a football game day production team in his life and appears to have no similar experience. This person will probably be hired.

How much for a bottle of that radio ad Champagne?

by **Charleston Pony** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:35 pm

I'm sure we all know several people who are not doing their part. Too many apathetic classmates. Time for all of us hardcores to turn up the peer pressure. Make it a goal to get some of your apathetic classmates out for at least one game this season

by **GiddyUp** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:44 pm

Everyone write Orsisni and tell him to back it up with a media campaign. Such a joke.

We can all only do so much. If you are reading this and don't have season tickets - the time is now. 70 bucks per ticket - not much at all.

by **Comet** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:54 pm

GiddyUp wrote:Everyone write Orsisni and tell him to back it up with a media campaign. Such a joke.

We can all only do so much. If you are reading this and don't have season tickets - the time is now. 140 bucks - not much at all.

No kidding, it makes my stomach turn when I'm listening to 1310 and I keep hearing ads for UNT season tickets, over and over again.

by **One Trick Pony** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 6:11 pm

I suffered depression after the lunch today. Now I remember why...

by **GiddyUp** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 6:13 pm

One Trick Pony wrote:I suffered depression after the lunch today. Now I remember why...

Why is that?

by **SMU89** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 6:35 pm

RGV Pony wrote:problem is, I dont see any outreach to reel in the YOU* folk. We're still trying to sell the place out by buying tix and giving them to deserving youth etc. We keep doing what we've been doing, so....we're continuing to get what we've gotten.

Agree. Need the deserving youth movement but a focus to get extra tickets in the hands of alums willing to bring friends and neighbors would establish additional repeat customers. Not everyone can afford to buy extra tickets to handout, but there are several willing to do some legwork if they had extras.

Radio ads sound great. The question is how many new season ticket holders do you get from running 100 ads? I assume not many if any. If they actually brought new season ticket holders, we would be running ads all the time.