Ouch from the Daily Campus

[ObeyMyDog]

Look, most students care about SMU beating UCF, or any other team. And it goes without saying that there are attendance issues in general. But seriously, one of our biggest games is freaking UCF.

Going back to what someone was saying, the reason we generate so much excitement for A&M and TCU is because they are A&M and TCU!!! Nobody gives two sh!ts about any team on our schedule minus Houston/A&M/TCU I would say. It doesnt matter if UCF is good, its freaking UCF, nobody here cares. That's the problem, right or wrong. It makes me mad but at the same time I get it. The quality of our opponents in terms of mystique or class or whatever is downright terrible in CUSA.

What happened for the TCU game last year? It was sold out and fun as hell. Why? Because we played TCU!!! This may be harder for some of the older guys to get but that is a HUGE part of the problem right now. Big East should help fix that big time.

You'll completely agree with me once we join BE and Moody sells out, not because our bball team is worth a damn, but because UConn has shown up to beat the hell out of us and lots of people want to see that.

[huskerpony]

Parking: Does the shuttle bus still run from the DART to moody?

That is walking distance. Especially for a college football game.

[perunapower]

Parking isn't a problem.

Agreed. There are three lots specifically for students and faculty that are free with a parking sticker and those are nearly barren on gamedays.

[EastStang]

What kind of wimps do we have in the student body? Back in the day, you came to the game hung over, had a little hair of the dog, stayed for both halves (except frat guys who never returned from the busses since they couldn't bring booze into the stadium), made it to parties that night, slept on Sunday. What's so tough about that. Hot? Have you been to the Cotton Bowl on a hot day? 1000 degrees. These are your classmates out on the field. Cheer them on. Man, this is embarrassing.

[Mestengo]

Close the stadium club and move all of those people down in the stands.

[mustangxc]

Only retort I have is where are all the football players whenever we have a swim meet, soccer game, cross-country race, etc? All those teams are or have been nationally ranked in the last few years and get close to no support. Maybe football is not your cup of tea. If this player truly thinks that others should show up to his games, he should bring his teammates out to some basketball, soccer, and swim meets. I am all for school spirit and would have loved to see more support whenever we hosted cross-country meets, but you go out and do your best for your teammates and yourself. Don't publicly blast the very people you want to support you. Find out why they do not come and find solutions to overcome those barriers. PS I am big on school spirit and attended all sports I could get out to when I was a student.

[NickSMU17]

wouldnt make a difference...place is half filled anyway...

[ericdickerson4life]

If we only had a marketing department...

[ObeyMyDog]

Only retort I have is where are all the football players whenever we have a swim meet, soccer game, cross-country race, etc?

You're kidding, right?

[Mestengo]

Make all games away games?

[ericdickerson4life]

Make all games away games?

Think of all the money we could save. No more turf redos or new light poles. We could get rid of the Geldings.

[bubba pony]

isn't it an issue that if you leave the stadium (say for a 1/2 time beer) you can't get back in?


as far as parking I've parked at the dart lot, taken the free shuttle bus to campus. I've also taken the dart train. it is free parking, lots of spots and not an issue.

[1983 Cotton Bowl]

The term “lost generation” hits the nail on the head even more than some on this Board realize. I was at SMU in the post-DP era and witnessed a lot of ATROCIOUS football at Owenby and the Cotton Bowl. I attended almost every home football game (except a few Thanksgiving weekend games) while I was at SMU because I was just that stupid and a glutton for punishment. But for most of my fellow students at the time, football wasn’t even a blip on their radar. After the DP, class after class of SMU graduates left the Hilltop having NEVER attended a single football game. It simply was not part of the college experience for most SMU students, including my wife. She is a proud SMU alum. But while she was on campus she only attended the first half of one homecoming game when a sorority sister was up for homecoming queen. That was the entirety of her exposure to Mustang football.

We now face the task of reaching out to those alumni and convincing them that they should do something they never did while at SMU. . .go to football games. That, my friends, is a tough sell. I think a big reason why a lot of alumni go to football games at their alma mater is out of a sense of nostalgia. . .its a connection to their college years. For 25 years worth of SMU grads, that connection doesn’t exist.

For the older alum, they had the privilege of watching SMU football soar to the highest heights. . .and then come crashing spectacularly down. That was a tough pill to swallow. I know there are some diehards who have stuck with the Ponies. But I can’t really blame those who walked away.

I live near campus and probably 50% of the people on my block went to SMU (most after 1986). I have never seen any of them at the Boulevard or in Ford. You want good attendance. . .you have to sell that demographic. It hasn’t happened yet. But SMU is headed in the right direction. At some point, this program is going to pull off something really big. And that will get the attention of our local alums.

[westexSMU]

One thing for sure. We need to not only market to Dallas area college football fans and our alumni, but also our own school. The school has been avoiding football for 25 years. We are winning now and the games are fun again. Come out and share it with the true fans that are always there.

[ericdickerson4life]

You want fans? You want loud and rowdy fans? Hello, free beer. Partner up with Keith Stone.

How about 2 free beers after each TD, 1 for each FG?

If you give it away, they will come.

BAM. There's your marketing plan. Screw billboards and all that crap.

And I don't want to hear about we can't do that because of restrictions or moral obligations. We can occupy Ford until they cave to our demands.