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No, I'm not talking about that damned marketing campaign, but rather trying to get some thoughts from people actually interested in moving forward. Anyone who has ever done change management or organizational development work knows that you have no hope of positively changing the culture of that organization until you understand its current state, good and bad. So I'm asking, when you think of SMU Athletics and talk about it with folks, what comes to mind? To get the ball rolling:

Positives:
SMU is...able to mobilize resources to do damned near anything it wants when a coherent vision is set forth
SMU is...blessed with passionate, though few, TRUE fans. Folks who stick with it no matter what, despite what feels like very little reason to.
SMU is...capable of winning over the civilized side of the metroplex with a solid product and a beautiful place to spend some time on a Saturday afternoon at a reasonable price.

Negatives:
SMU is...stuck in the 1980's. Glory years don't "come back"; you need to constantly reinvent your own success and look to the past to remind yourself of where you want to go in the future.
SMU is...entitled. We somehow have it in our heads that folks should magically want to come just because we're here. It's how we recruit and seems to be how we approach drawing fans. How's that working so far?
SMU is...full of excuses. Small student body, DP, coach doesn't "get us", too many other options for casual fans. All symptoms of the problem that serve as a crutch for really addressing the problems.
SMU is...elitist. Southern Millionaires University. How do we either shake that perception or spin it to our advantage?

What say you, oh wise ones?

RyanSMU98 wrote:SMU is...full of excuses. Small student body, DP, coach doesn't "get us", too many other options for casual fans. All symptoms of the problem that serve as a crutch for really addressing the problems.

What is the real problem in your opinion? Small student body makes sense but the rest are hyperbole in my opinion. There are other reasons you left out conveniently. Team doesn't win like a power program, coach's actions outside of the calm demeanor(leaving multiple times before alma mater gets played), recruiting etc. If you're gonna call the excuse makers a negative, don't leave out the legitimate ones.

Shout out to Plano Stang.

malonish wrote:

RyanSMU98 wrote:SMU is...full of excuses. Small student body, DP, coach doesn't "get us", too many other options for casual fans. All symptoms of the problem that serve as a crutch for really addressing the problems.

What is the real problem in your opinion? Small student body makes sense but the rest are hyperbole in my opinion. There are other reasons you left out conveniently. Team doesn't win like a power program, coach's actions outside of the calm demeanor(leaving multiple times before alma mater gets played), recruiting etc. If you're gonna call the excuse makers a negative, don't leave out the legitimate ones.

Shout out to Plano Stang.

Weren't left out intentionally; just threw in the first few that popped into my head, and what you mention should be on there. And to answer your original question, I think a root cause is a fundamental failure in leadership to commit to getting to the level people expect. Don't think RGT is completely sold on the need or benefit of it; jury is still out on RH for me on his able to execute a plan to move ahead, and I think we all agree on the JJ front. So how do we get the power players to push the program forward in spite of the leadership issue, because clearly they ain't gonna do it with their help.

SMU is hopeless, totally hopeless.

The worst problem for SMU is the competition for the sports entertainmetn dollar with the pro sports in town. Few colleges prospect in an NFL city.

Sam I Am wrote:The worst problem for SMU is the competition for the sports entertainmetn dollar with the pro sports in town. Few colleges prospect in an NFL city.

Yep. Just like TCU, Stanford, Miami, and UH.

malonish wrote: (leaving multiple times before alma mater gets played)

I can't blame him for that. Shouldn't walk over there in the first place. What is the point? There's nobody left over there but the freakin' band. We don't exactly have the loyalty of a service academy. Alma Mater at beginning of game is plenty. Bush Library.

I would say we have it worst. We have a city that prides itself on success and hard working merits (unlike Austin). We also have every real professional sport: Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball, Golf Tourneys, Soccers, Minor League baseball (rough riders, ft worth cats) basketball (legends). We have tons of shopping centers that are filled every saturday. The thing for TCU is... they are somewhat isolated from all the sports. We have a tough position. We have to be consistently good and a school that speaks to the city not just Highland Park.

SMU is.......being held hostage by a bunch of recruiting-allergic, ambitionless stiffs. Fixing that is the key to fixing everything else.

Bergermeister wrote:

malonish wrote: (leaving multiple times before alma mater gets played)

I can't blame him for that. Shouldn't walk over there in the first place. What is the point? There's nobody left over there but the freakin' band. We don't exactly have the loyalty of a service academy. Alma Mater at beginning of game is plenty. Bush Library.

Trying to hit all the buzz words You have a point though. "Let's walk over to the empty half of the stadium for 90+ people." That's another symptom of attendance issues. If the students were there, we could have a Kumbaya moment- students, band, and team. Government Shutdown.

SMU is:
1. One of the most beautiful campuses in the US
2. A place to find some of the most beautiful girls in US
3. Out of touch with its surrounding community
4. Out of touch with modern sports marketing and game presentation
5. Has few local alliances
6. Saddled with FB coaches who don't aggressively promote SMU to top local recruits and to the community
7. A top business school with little sports business sense
8. A top AD/PR school with little ability to promote itself
9. Un-inventive
10. Cautious, follows examples of others
11. Non-innovative
12. Doesn't follow the example of others in sports
13. Is in a town that embraces winners and social scenes

SMUer wrote:SMU is:
1. One of the most beautiful campuses in the US
2. A place to find some of the most beautiful girls in US
3. Out of touch with its surrounding community
4. Out of touch with modern sports marketing and game presentation
5. Has few local alliances
6. Saddled with FB coaches who don't aggressively promote SMU to top local recruits and to the community
7. A top business school with little sports business sense
8. A top AD/PR school with little ability to promote itself
9. Un-inventive
10. Cautious, follows examples of others
11. Non-innovative
12. Doesn't follow the example of others in sports
13. Is in a town that embraces winners and social scenes

I am optimistic about the new AD. Also, if the game presentation or the last game is the start of a trend then that is getting addressed. Let's not just look backwards in making our critiques.

Oh, I tota agree about the vast improvement in Gameday presentation...my overall impression has been bad

SMUer wrote:SMU is:
1. One of the most beautiful campuses in the US
2. A place to find some of the most beautiful girls in US
3. Out of touch with its surrounding community
4. Out of touch with modern sports marketing and game presentation
5. Has few local alliances
6. Saddled with FB coaches who don't aggressively promote SMU to top local recruits and to the community
7. A top business school with little sports business sense
8. A top AD/PR school with little ability to promote itself
9. Un-inventive
10. Cautious, follows examples of others
11. Non-innovative
12. Doesn't follow the example of others in sports
13. Is in a town that embraces winners and social scenes

Definitely NOT a top business school if one considers the MBA program. Not anywhere near UT in the US News rankings.

I think the best way to judge a school especially the business school isnt necessarily about rankings. Its about do you get a job especially a reputable one and how much that graduate gets paid that determines success. Who flipping cares about research and crap like that.. I mean its nice but not what primarily matters to a student. I am grateful I graduated Cox that has put me on a path of success. Sure there can be some professor changes or even the dean, but I think we just need to build on rather than reformulate.