Attendance Solution: listen up marketing people

[RGV Pony]

Alright...after much thought between casino games, watching the Ponies on All Access and a flight back home from another trip to Vegas, here is my solution for lagging attendance. I must credit Plano Stang for demanding what I would do to fix the problem, so here goes...

SMU Football: We don't pay our players anymore...we pay our FANS!!

Potts said he'd rather have 50k buying a coke than zero buying nothing, and that's true. So, we're going to assume that a crowd of 25k will generate $125k in buying 5 dollars each of stuff (about a napkin and a pretzel at Ford).

On those games where there are 25,000 or more in attendance, one fan will win $10,000. Scholarship athletes are ineligible, of course; if they win, the money goes to that sport's budget. It gets better...if the winning fan is in attendance when the winner is announced (AFTER the game), that prize jumps to $15,000. If they're there after the end of the game, AND the game drew 30k or more, they win $20,000. While I'm at it, I'm also going to say that if they've bought one of those plastic horse's heads the Indy Colts fans wear, and add some red to the blue, and they're there after the game and it drew 30k, then it's $22,500. Attendance under 25,000? No jackpot...but a percentage of concessions goes to ensure the hit will be next time around. No jackpots given for games like TTech, Baylor, etc. (granted, there aren't any next year).

What college kid (except for maybe certain sorority types) can't use some extra $$ for beer etc? Those of us with careers know that the cash with a good money guy doubles in 6 years and again at 12...7 and 14 with a marginal guy. Better still how about plunking it down on that RV with red and blue accents you want to use to supplant the Mrs. Bairds smoker on the blvd?

I think it would work. Is it against NCAA rules? I don't know...not my job to find out. But there's my two cents from outside the box. I for one think this idea would work better than say the copied form letter we all got that was 'signed' by some of the seniors this week requesting our attendance at the remaining home games.

Imagine!! Paying Players? NOPE! We're paying YOU...SMU Football

...intellectual property of RGV Pony

[SoCal_Pony]

Why not a tie-in with a local Ford dealership....

Winner gets a Ford Mustang and their choice of color.....Red or Blue

[LakeHighlandsPony]

We at Jim Copeland Enterprises are going to stick to selling TCU caps and T-Shirts on the visitor side at Ford Stadium. Rather than make our own team good and sell thier crap we would rather bandwagon and sell opposing teams crap. Thank you for trying to figure out our revenue problems but we don't listen to outsiders. -J. Copeland Enterprises

[Bergermeister]

We could, at least, switch stadiums with the Scots. 11,000 would be a full house at Highlander. The Scotties drew more to Ford when they opened the season.
If we did exactly what TCU does... that would be an improvement. But, that would call for some accountability amongst those on the payroll.

[ReedFrawg]

Not a bad idea actually. Has that ever been done before? Also, schedule Army if you want an attendance bump. It was a great atmosphere with about 2,000 army troops (in fatigues) in the north end zone, paratroopers (9 of them) coming into the stadium before the game, a great halftime show honoring Vietnam vets and the largest contingent of visiting fans in at least 2-3 years. Even without the troops that were bussed in, Army had a large group of fans and there is just something really cool about playing Army.

Alright...after much thought between casino games, watching the Ponies on All Access and a flight back home from another trip to Vegas, here is my solution for lagging attendance. I must credit Plano Stang for demanding what I would do to fix the problem, so here goes...

SMU Football: We don't pay our players anymore...we pay our FANS!!

Potts said he'd rather have 50k buying a coke than zero buying nothing, and that's true. So, we're going to assume that a crowd of 25k will generate $125k in buying 5 dollars each of stuff (about a napkin and a pretzel at Ford).

On those games where there are 25,000 or more in attendance, one fan will win $10,000. Scholarship athletes are ineligible, of course; if they win, the money goes to that sport's budget. It gets better...if the winning fan is in attendance when the winner is announced (AFTER the game), that prize jumps to $15,000. If they're there after the end of the game, AND the game drew 30k or more, they win $20,000. While I'm at it, I'm also going to say that if they've bought one of those plastic horse's heads the Indy Colts fans wear, and add some red to the blue, and they're there after the game and it drew 30k, then it's $22,500. Attendance under 25,000? No jackpot...but a percentage of concessions goes to ensure the hit will be next time around. No jackpots given for games like TTech, Baylor, etc. (granted, there aren't any next year).

What college kid (except for maybe certain sorority types) can't use some extra $$ for beer etc? Those of us with careers know that the cash with a good money guy doubles in 6 years and again at 12...7 and 14 with a marginal guy. Better still how about plunking it down on that RV with red and blue accents you want to use to supplant the Mrs. Bairds smoker on the blvd?

I think it would work. Is it against NCAA rules? I don't know...not my job to find out. But there's my two cents from outside the box. I for one think this idea would work better than say the copied form letter we all got that was 'signed' by some of the seniors this week requesting our attendance at the remaining home games.

Imagine!! Paying Players? NOPE! We're paying YOU...SMU Football

...intellectual property of RGV Pony

[BarbaraAnn]

The HIGH SCHOOL that I teach at recently had a drawing for a brand new Mustang. This was at our big rivalry football game. Students paid $10 for a chance in the drawing, and the car was given away after the game.

It's possible. Do it.

[covok48]

How about just schedule the games later? Nothing is worse than a 1pm or 2 pm kickoff where we don't even have time to go to the bvld. before the game starts. Plus it's the hottest part of the day.

B

[PK]

Other football programs don't seem to have a problem of getting crowds to their 2:00 games or even their 11:00 games...what's so special about SMU fans that they can't seem to get to a 2:00 game or find it a hardship? Geez!

[abezontar]

The only thing the team does is consistently lose.....those teams that have lots of fans for an 11:00 or 2:00 game.....they win.

[covok48]

Other football programs don't seem to have a problem of getting crowds to their 2:00 games or even their 11:00 games...what's so special about SMU fans that they can't seem to get to a 2:00 game or find it a hardship? Geez!

Well unlike places like College Station, Lubbock, Tuscolusa and other College towns, people in Dallas have other things to do than watch their Mustangs lose in a new way every week. At least Scheduling games at night have better weather and more time for the bvld. while not interrupting night plans or dinner.

Want to get more students to the game, this is the way to do it.

B

[MrMustang1965]

Other football programs don't seem to have a problem of getting crowds to their 2:00 games or even their 11:00 games...what's so special about SMU fans that they can't seem to get to a 2:00 game or find it a hardship? Geez!

Well unlike places like College Station, Lubbock, Tuscolusa and other College towns, people in Dallas have other things to do than watch their Mustangs lose in a new way every week. At least Scheduling games at night have better weather and more time for the bvld. while not interrupting night plans or dinner.

Want to get more students to the game, this is the way to do it.

B

Nope. All the students will be too drunk by 7 p.m. to attend. They'll be snoozing in their dorms or in the gutters along Bishop Blvd.

[SMUnick]

wrong... if the games are placed back even at 5 it gives the students enough time to go on the blvd and better yet if its a night game, the atmosphere is so much more lively and the players seem to get more hyped for night games as well. If tulane was a night game, i gurantee we win. More night games = better attendance.

[PK]

Other football programs don't seem to have a problem of getting crowds to their 2:00 games or even their 11:00 games...what's so special about SMU fans that they can't seem to get to a 2:00 game or find it a hardship? Geez!

At least Scheduling games at night have better weather and more time for the bvld. while not interrupting night plans or dinner.

Want to get more students to the game, this is the way to do it.

B

Excuse me? How does having night games not interrupt night plans and dinner? Obviously the game is not in your plans anyway so you can spend the whole afternoon on the 'vard getting drunk instead of going to the game even when the game is in the afternoon...so what's the problem? And BTW we have evening games in September. But come November...nothing is colder than a rainy night game in November.

[Hoop Fan]

I agree the 2pm games have backfired the past two games because of the heat and going against USC-ND last week. But several years ago SMU played all of its home games at night and it worked out horribly. There were several cold dreary nights in October that led to horrible attendance and bad atmosphere. Most people agreed that night games were best in Sept, but to move up the starts later in the season. I think the athletic dept actually took a poll of ticket holders before making the change. No, quite frankly the starting time is not to blame, it has everything to do with opponent and our record. East Carolina is a real tough draw for us in Oct. at 2-4 just like Fresno and San Jose used to be.

[feelan]

If tulane was a night game, i gurantee we win.

wow, now thats a pretty bold statment about a game we lost by 3 TDs. I don't think the final score had anything to do with what time the game was played.