Attendance/Marketing Project

[footballdad]

And one more thing if you really are "an actual football fan" or an actual SMU fan, you'd want us to play and beat good teams and not cry about the schedule.

I guess it's just the inability to let go of the PonyExpress days and the old SWC that anyone would still be comparing SMU to those schools, or any of the current Big 12. They're out of our league in more ways than one and that ship has sailed. We're in the AAC, winning the AAC is our reality. If we had the budget and fans and facilities to compete with those schools then bring em on. We don't. They're bigger and faster and stronger than us because they're in a different league. They're guys have 3,4 & 5 stars and ours have 2 & 3 stars for a reason...they're in a different league. I'm not crying about anything. You just apparently can't admit that SMU is not on the same level as TCU or Baylor or Texas or Tech when it comes to football. It's like AA, the first step to finding your cure is admitting the problem. Go ahead, just admit that we're not in their same league any more. I know you can't and probably never will which just proves my point.

All I really care about at this point is Hart getting lucky enough to hire a great coach and staff to lead these fine young men. If you and all your friends never come to another game the rest of your life that's fine by me.

Yes footballdad, they are currently out of our league, but it doesn't mean we will always be out of the big boy leagues. Realignment is unoredictable and sometimes those expansion candidate decisions are made in less than a week (TCU and Big 12). We really need to upgrade the product on the field significantly as how ECU, UCF, Boise, Utah and TCU did, and that is by showing commitment to football and to winning the damn games. The "fans will come when we beat teams people care of" excuse is illogical and not applicable right now. Our immediate concern is to win big in the G5 so we can start building a fanbase outside of SMU like all the aforementioned programs have done and to bring back our estranged alumni to the games.

Agree 100%

[blackoutpony]

blackoutpony also is putting the finishing touches on a cure for Ebola

Not sure what my Nobel peace prize worthy accomplishments have to do with our scheduling, but thanks for letting the cat out of the bag....

[footballdad]

For all you folks complaining about how impossible it is for us to compete against the Big 12(ish), here's some perspective: Freaking North Dakota St. (an FCS school) has a better record against that conference (NDSU is 2-1 against Big 12 and Big 10, respectively) than our Mustangs. An FCS school in the middle of f-ing nowhere North Dakota. Just let that sink in for a sec. Say what you want about our talent level, but there is not one legitimate excuse that we have to not be able to field a team that can at least be respectable against our former SWC mates. For those questioning whether that should be the standard: OF COURSE IT SHOULD!!! If we can't find a way to make a game of it against the teams that supposedly represent the powers of college football, what the hell are we doing?? This isn't about reliving the glories of the past, it's about living up to the expectations of a competitive program. If that is too much to ask, then shut the damn thing down.

Shut the damn thing down, shut the damn thing down......OK Dickerson

and when we win the AAC with a more realistic non-conference schedule you'll still be complaining that we're not beating anybody that people care about.

Do North Dakota St. fans pack their stadium because they win a lot of games and dominate their conference, or because they lose to P5 teams while being competitive?

[redpony]

Didn't realize that our OOC counted as part of winning our conference. My how things have changed.

[Junior]

"As with many of us, the Beasley tweets bothered me. However, the fact that our attendance is much less than it should be is undeniable. From his point of view, our attendance should have increased while he was on the Hilltop. I don’t know the exact attendance numbers, so I am not going to build an argument around attendance numbers. But I do know this:

1. I know alumni that make it to the BLVD for every game, but never go in the game
2. I know alumni that live in Dallas that have never been to the BLVD or a game in the last ten years
3. I don’t think I could point out more than 2 or 3 other season ticket holders from my graduating class"

----------------------------------

Great points Pony94. Guys like blackoutpony would rather not know the real answers because the truth would show that the vast, vast majority of SMU alums don't/won't support SMU football no matter the wins or losses. They show up in full force on the Blvd to drink and be seen and throw out drunken snide remarks just like blackoutpony.

Just a different, privileged, arrogant breed. The only way to fill that stadium would be to somehow reach out to the casual Dallas football fan and somehow make them feel as if this was Dallas' Team. That in itself is very difficult for the same reason: most view SMU as a privileged, arrogant country club.

I would drop 20,000 free tickets from airplanes all over Dallas prior to each game just to get butts in the seats and make $ off the $8 & $10 beers.

No easy fix. Desperately need outside marketing expertise.

don't drop tickets from planes. some might go to people with ebola.

ebola! don't touch your friend! no eating!

[RyanSMU98]

Shut the damn thing down, shut the damn thing down......OK Dickerson

and when we win the AAC with a more realistic non-conference schedule you'll still be complaining that we're not beating anybody that people care about.

Do North Dakota St. fans pack their stadium because they win a lot of games and dominate their conference, or because they lose to P5 teams while being competitive?

OK, I'll play along: what do you (or your son) consider "a more realistic non-conference schedule"? I wouldn't complain one bit if this team won conference on a consistent basis, but that has been predicted multiple times under JJ and there was always an excuse for why he couldn't get it done and let's face it, the AAC ain't a huge jump up from the CUSA where we were in terms of competition. You're essentially saying that we should accept second-tier football as the best we can hope for; maybe that's true, I hope to heck it's not. And for the record, I assume NDSU fans pack their stadium to keep warm and because there's not much else to do in the bustling metropolis that is Fargo, ND. Oh yeah, and winning helps too; we should try that one of these years.

[SMU 86]

You just apparently can't admit that SMU is not on the same level as TCU or Baylor or Texas or Tech when it comes to football.

I would think even you would have at thought we were at a better level than the University of North Texas.

[Mustangs_Maroons]

the whole football team is an extension of June Jone's philosophy that SMU can't compete with the big boys. It's why he didn't even try to recruit. I heard it at the NYC even when Jones cowardly backed out of attending and Hart said that Jones didn't try to compete for some of the top players because he knew we never had a chance to compete. Well, the problem is he didn't even try to compete for the 3 stars. That is why we have a losers mentality. We can't compete, so we dont' recruit to compete, and we bring in 2-stars, no stars and the occassional 3 star.

This leads to having a few players that can play D1 football and most players that should be playing FCS. Then they're brainwashed that since we're not set up to compete they complain about the scheduling (when it in fact is about running an outdated scheme with mostly subpar players), and when we stink that up, they complain about the lack of fan attendance, which then leads to not winning the conference championship outright, ever? Did I get that right?

Imagine if tcu would have felt the same way, they would be right where we are right now.

[redpony]

+1

[ideal]

If we can't find a way to make a game of it against the teams that supposedly represent the powers of college football, what the hell are we doing?? This isn't about reliving the glories of the past, it's about living up to the expectations of a competitive program. If that is too much to ask, then shut the damn thing down.

Very well said.
The cult of mediocrity is our great enemy, and at every opportunity they send out the greek chorus while shedding crocodile tears.
We have everything it takes, and there is no reason to be humble about it.

[footballdad]

Shut the damn thing down, shut the damn thing down......OK Dickerson

and when we win the AAC with a more realistic non-conference schedule you'll still be complaining that we're not beating anybody that people care about.

Do North Dakota St. fans pack their stadium because they win a lot of games and dominate their conference, or because they lose to P5 teams while being competitive?

OK, I'll play along: what do you (or your son) consider "a more realistic non-conference schedule"? I wouldn't complain one bit if this team won conference on a consistent basis, but that has been predicted multiple times under JJ and there was always an excuse for why he couldn't get it done and let's face it, the AAC ain't a huge jump up from the CUSA where we were in terms of competition. You're essentially saying that we should accept second-tier football as the best we can hope for; maybe that's true, I hope to heck it's not. And for the record, I assume NDSU fans pack their stadium to keep warm and because there's not much else to do in the bustling metropolis that is Fargo, ND. Oh yeah, and winning helps too; we should try that one of these years.

As mentioned many times on this board, something along the lines of TCU, UNT, an FCS school, and another middle of the road P5, pretty simple.

Who cares if JJ predicted conference titles and never won one. The question is, would that be enough to get the fans out or would they still not show up because our conference consists of teams 'they don't like'?

The million dollar question.....would people come out and fill the stadium if we were winning our conference and going 3-1 or 2-2 against the non-conference schedule mentioned above?

[RyanSMU98]

As mentioned many times on this board, something along the lines of TCU, UNT, an FCS school, and another middle of the road P5, pretty simple.

Who cares if JJ predicted conference titles and never won one. The question is, would that be enough to get the fans out or would they still not show up because our conference consists of teams 'they don't like'?

The million dollar question.....would people come out and fill the stadium if we were winning our conference and going 3-1 or 2-2 against the non-conference schedule mentioned above?

Just my $.02, swap out the FCS team with say a UTSA or comparable FBS team and win they would probably start to show up, assuming that we start to define winning seasons as 9+ wins on a consistent basis. An FCS team represents no upside to me; destroy them and it is expected, lose and you put a cloud over your whole season.

In my mind a big part of the problem is not just that we seem to be ok getting out butts handed to us by P5 teams (heck, some on this board would lead you to believe that those losses are inevitable; I personally don't accept that), but that we celebrate ending the year .500 way too much. Yes, it is a huge jump from where we were, but that is never going to build a fan base. If we play a schedule similar to the one you mentioned (with maybe the one small tweak) and dominate our conference, I don't see why we can't gain some attendance traction especially among those folks who would love to see a football game live but aren't willing to mortgage their homes to see the Cowgirls.

[footballdad]

the whole football team is an extension of June Jone's philosophy that SMU can't compete with the big boys. It's why he didn't even try to recruit. I heard it at the NYC even when Jones cowardly backed out of attending and Hart said that Jones didn't try to compete for some of the top players because he knew we never had a chance to compete. Well, the problem is he didn't even try to compete for the 3 stars. That is why we have a losers mentality. We can't compete, so we dont' recruit to compete, and we bring in 2-stars, no stars and the occassional 3 star.

This leads to having a few players that can play D1 football and most players that should be playing FCS. Then they're brainwashed that since we're not set up to compete they complain about the scheduling (when it in fact is about running an outdated scheme with mostly subpar players), and when we stink that up, they complain about the lack of fan attendance, which then leads to not winning the conference championship outright, ever? Did I get that right?

Imagine if tcu would have felt the same way, they would be right where we are right now.

Correct, June's crap attitude, work ethic, and philosophies were a major reason his team's have performed below expectations. The good news is the new coach and staff will bring an entirely new philosophy to campus which the players will buy into immediately. They want nothing more than to win and have faith in their coaches and leaders.

I don't think the players complained about the scheduling one bit so I don't buy that.

The players and recruits noticing the lack of attendance is an issue whether we want to admit it or not. Chicken and egg I understand, but we need to win first and foremost.

[sbsmith]

The million dollar question.....would people come out and fill the stadium if we were winning our conference and going 3-1 or 2-2 against the non-conference schedule mentioned above?

No, that slate you listed wouldn't move many season tickets to begin with and just going 3-1 or 2-2 against it wouldn't draw much of a walk-up crowd.

[tristatecoog]

Wasn't there a bump in attendance when JJ was hired? That felt like a more audacious hire than Larry Brown at the time.

As far as marketing, The Richards Group came up with the Pony ^ campaign and there were the Dallas' Team yard signs last year.

Maybe it was Hart being new, or the CofC hiring JJ, that clouded the judgement about retaining the head coach. To footballdad's point, JJ's salary was also a tough nut to swallow for a non-P5 school.