Orange Out

[Charleston Pony]

C. Pony - Enjoyed your post! I am not saying they didn't draw those fans but was it "paid" attendance or actually fans in the seats? You are right - just like UTEP last night, Arkansas, Texas, etc. would help those attendance figures.

SMU has always (to my knowledge) posted "paid" attendance figures. We had some 4-500 crowds this year announced as 1200-1400.

Back in the day...a "bad crowd" for those holiday season (students off for break) games was close to 1500 "buts in seats" and the announced crowd might be 2000 or more. The old timers on this board are familiar with the phrase "the 1500" and that's how they came to be known...our most loyal group of hard core fans who showed up every night regardless of our record or who we played. I was one of them when I lived in Dallas and suffered through some really tough times. Who can forget losing to Rollins College at Moody?

Long live the 1500 and I hope they return soon.

[GiddyUp]

Put an entertaining product on the court, simple/slick new media marketing, new uni's, better schedule, and we'll get a home court again. After you get some butts in seat, improve the game day experience. Prosper

True dat - this program needs freshness. Social Media, hip hop...etc.

So blah - if I went to a game in 1994 and went to a game in 2011, it would be the same experience.

Not sure why that is so hard for whoever is in charge to see and why do the big donors put up with it. I mean meatballs on a stick? really...these big donor guys are used to efficiency, Al Biernat's, Bob's, and the Mansion - and dominating their businesses.

[GiddyUp]

Charleston Pony - always enjoy your posts but ( and you can disagree) Doug Ash who served as the assistant coach for Dave Bliss is now a scout for the Detroit Pistons and was at the Memphis/SMU game this year and said to a lady friend of mine that "this crowd is just as good as we had during our years. I don't think local players will help in attendance. My opinion only~ Has it in the past?

Doug's memory is short. Even in the early Bliss years when we went 7-20 and 6-21 in those 1st 2 seasons with a schedule that included the likes of Texas Weslayan, Wisc-Oshkosh, Southwestern, Angelo State, etc...we AVERAGED close to 4,000. Our Memphis game drew only 2500 this year. We drew those kind of crowds against the teams mentioned above but EVERY conference game, even Rice, would draw better than 2500. Granted, Texas, Arkansas, A&M and Tech helped bolster our averages but we had a loyal group of at least 2,000 - 2,500 that showed up no matter who we played. I know because I was one of them in those years.

After the SWC blew up, our "core" of loyalists shrunk to about 1,500. Today that figure appears to have dwindled to about 1,000. I think this year we AVERAGED less than 2500.

During my years at SMU, we averaged 5234, 5881, 6223 and dropped off to 4910 my Sr year. Those figures included games against Austin College, Dallas Baptist, McMurry, etc...Moody could seat 10k in those years and we had SWC games that would be close to full

I'm not expecting miracles. I just want to see us get to the point we can put 3500-4000 SMU fans in for every conference game and increase the number of hard core loyalists to the same 2000-2500 we once had. It starts with the students. That's another thing that changed. In my day, the students filled the pull out bleachers on both sides of the court. The blue seats came into play the 1st year the Mavericks made the playoffs and had to use Moody because Reunion Arena wasn't available. That change went a long ways towards ruining the atmosphere at Moody. Don't mean to offend the donors in this seats. I know several of them. That's why I would like to see Moody remodeled to include suites in the lower mezzanine. If we reduce capacity to 7500 in the process, no big deal

all you need to know is Southwest Conference. Our bleachers are like a high school gym.

[CalallenStang]

True dat - this program needs freshness. Social Media, hip hop...etc.So blah - if I went to a game in 1990 and went to a game in 2011, it would be the same experience.

I don't know from personal experience, but I would guess that games in 1990 were better experiences. They probably had entertaining halftime shows back then.

So sad.

[ALEX LIFESON]

Any team SMU plays will have alums/fans in the Dallas area, even schools I've never heard of, have had fans in Moody. How many of those 250 UTEP fans Staurday, do you think came from that war zone in El Paso/Juarez?

[hoopmanx]

Put an entertaining product on the court, simple/slick new media marketing, new uni's, better schedule, and we'll get a home court again. After you get some butts in seat, improve the game day experience. Prosper

True dat - this program needs freshness. Social Media, hip hop...etc.So blah - if I went to a game in 1990 and went to a game in 2011, it would be the same experience.

Not sure why that is so hard for whoever is in charge to see and why do the big donors put up with it. I mean meatballs on a stick? really...these big donor guys are used to efficiency, Al Biernat's, Bob's, and the Mansion - and dominating their businesses.

I'm convinced they need a consultant to pull off a lifestyle campaign for SMU hoops. It wouldn't be that expensive, and they could really give a hipper, if not hip-hop, and slightly more urban slant to the program.

[GiddyUp]

True dat - this program needs freshness. Social Media, hip hop...etc.So blah - if I went to a game in 1990 and went to a game in 2011, it would be the same experience.

I don't know from personal experience, but I would guess that games in 1990 were better experiences. They probably had entertaining halftime shows back then.

So sad.

Sorry, I should have said '94 (post-SWC). Mavs had Jazzercize last night with like 60 yr old ladies. Truly awful.

[GiddyUp]

Put an entertaining product on the court, simple/slick new media marketing, new uni's, better schedule, and we'll get a home court again. After you get some butts in seat, improve the game day experience. Prosper

True dat - this program needs freshness. Social Media, hip hop...etc.So blah - if I went to a game in 1990 and went to a game in 2011, it would be the same experience.

Not sure why that is so hard for whoever is in charge to see and why do the big donors put up with it. I mean meatballs on a stick? really...these big donor guys are used to efficiency, Al Biernat's, Bob's, and the Mansion - and dominating their businesses.

I'm convinced they need a consultant to pull off a lifestyle campaign for SMU hoops. It wouldn't be that expensive, and they could really give a hipper, if not hip-hop, and slightly more urban slant to the program.

Yes, I don't think it would take a whole lot. New announcer, cool video board stuff, social media/youtube, highlights of the season, new uniforms, new lineup announcements (dim the lights?), new music, mustang maniac t-shirts thrown out, and give aways, kids who can actually sweep the floor that actually wear SMU gear.

[RGV Pony]

[CalallenStang]

GiddyUp for head of gameday presentation!

[hoopmanx]

I like that look. It's sorta euroleague