Game presentation /Customer service

[Topper]

Under the category of "Rich People Problems" I suppose, but during the Navy game I was not allowed to walk from the Stadium Club to the Hall of Champions by someone who may or may not have been a member of the stadium staff. This is the first time I have ever known of this policy as every game day I have always gone over there to say hello to friends with tickets in that section. Not sure that this is the way to treat people like me who have to talk my wife into agreeing to a Mustang Club donation every year. As I said, not a big deal, just a petty rule that I never heard of.

[PonySnob]

I just completed the emailed survey. It takes about 5 minutes to finish. Very easy.

Received the email with the survey but when clicked on the link, it said I had already taken it.

[RGV Pony]

Under the category of "Rich People Problems" I suppose, but during the Navy game I was not allowed to walk from the Stadium Club to the Hall of Champions by someone who may or may not have been a member of the stadium staff. This is the first time I have ever known of this policy as every game day I have always gone over there to say hello to friends with tickets in that section. Not sure that this is the way to treat people like me who have to talk my wife into agreeing to a Mustang Club donation every year. As I said, not a big deal, just a petty rule that I never heard of.

I'll ask, but the only time I've been stopped going from one to the other has been when I've [inadvertently] been carrying an alcoholic beverage, which they don't allow from one to another.

[Jackets N Pones]

Also, I think with our meager 15k average fans, we really should try to push for having one side of the stadium say “PONY” and the other plus the same side say “UP”. Then when we actually get 80% attendance one day, we have already established a base.

This is logical and the right thing to do. Especially in Moody.

I agree 100%. Let me know how I can help with this by rallying people around me to partake.

Also, "I Can't Turn You Loose" by the Mustang Band has been a lot of fun!

Speaking of music, I think the band or stadium audio should play Mony Mony by Billy Idol except we sing PONY PONY. Such an all time great stadium song. I'm also not sure what the song is called where everybody steps really fast and then puts hands up and says whooo, but it would be neat to see more participants throughout the stadium when played.

I also think it would be cool to do something at all kickoffs, even if it is as simple as Pony Ears up and say.....ayyyyyyyyy GO MUSTANGS or something. I never know what to do at kickoffs.

GREAT THREAD!!!

[SMU_Alum11]

Also, I think with our meager 15k average fans, we really should try to push for having one side of the stadium say “PONY” and the other plus the same side say “UP”. Then when we actually get 80% attendance one day, we have already established a base.

SMUer had something similar going a few years back.

I remember yelling Red and Blue back and forth but it just doesn’t have the same ring. I loved it when the rangers would have sellout crowds and fans would shout back “Texas...Rangers!”. If it were under consideration, I would love to see a poll and fan interest of a chant.

[SMU Pom Mom]

Post a link to a school with something similar and I will pass it along to Spirit.

[Stallion]

It won't work at Ford until we have more than a 1,000 fans on the East side

But here is:

Texas
Fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4XkluT_hCc

[Bergermeister]

SMU people don't show up for the start of the game, don't stay til it's over, don't shake pom pons, don't wave towels, don't sing songs and, certainly, don't yell - (unless the service is bad). We'd never make it in the SEC. Zombie fans?

[JasonB]

90% of our season ticket holders are there because of their ties with SMU and it is their tradition.
10% of our season ticket holders are there because they both have ties with SMU and they are die hard football fans.

The other people in the stadium are their either as fans of the other teams, or as the result of some type of promotion. Approximately 0% of the people in stadium are there just dropping in because they like football.

Texans know good football when they see it. Even when we maxed out at 8 games in CUSA, that still wasn't good football comparatively. Go back and look at TCU's attendance. When they started to win 8-9 games under Fran, their attendance rose a little, but not dramatically. When they hit 10 wins and had LT, people started to notice. They started do draw 20K consistently against the bad teams in the MWC and sell out against better MWC teams and big name non-conference opponents. The attendance levels continued to creep up with consistent winning because of Patterson, and then obviously exploded when they joined the Big 12 and continued to win.

Game presentation keeps fans who come. But fans don't come until you play good football. The game presentation the first year of Moody was incredible. But without a good team, you don't get the crowd and you don't get the atmosphere.

Now, here is where SMU screws up. They lucked out with the opening of Moody, because they had an alum who orchestrated the whole thing. Directed the intro videos, coming home was his idea, he chose the music, he did everything. But SMU decides they don't want to pay him, so he leaves and goes to Cincy, who recognize talent and pay the guy. And SMU replaces him with people who agree to have on court game presentations constantly to kill the atmosphere, will bow down to the band. They step all over themselves to ruin a good thing. Everyone knows the game presentation is not the same, the atmosphere is not the same. I made a point to drive down and fight traffic from the northern burbs for every single game before. Now, against lesser opponents, it isn't worth it because the atmosphere isn't quite the same, I don't get that rush of adrenaline. And the vicious cycle starts because the home court isn't as impenetrable, the atmosphere isn't enough to continue to wow recruits, quality of team goes down, rinse and repeat.

I appreciate the engagement. But crowd sourcing a fan base that, quite honestly, hasn't seen proper game football presentation for 40 years is like going to North Korea and asking their citizens about human rights best practices. What our university SHOULD be doing is investing in the right operations people, go get that guy back and put him in charge of running both football and basketball operations, and pay for team members to go to the top 5 football and basketball atmospheres and learn from them. Hell, send them down to interview Del Conte for 5 hours to understand what his game day principles are and how he mapped those into actions at UT. Put those principles in place immediately in basketball, and do the prep work so that our football operations are good enough to take advantage of our next good football team.

[Arkpony]

Wow! Right on JasonB! Well said. I wonder if anyone else is listening?

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

JasonB speaks the truth.

[peruna11]

Move all official greek tailgating to the area around the Doak statue, and use street blockades to surround and funnel students into Ford Stadium via their own, special, easy-entry gate (Gate 2?). Greeks already have to get wristband ID'd in order to drink at their tents, the same wrist-band showing grants access to special patio area. All non-wristband students shunted left into the general student seats. Along the way, non-wristband students are given bam-sticks, flags, t-shirts, whatever to get the student stands rocking. Partition off the non-wristband student section from General Seating as well so that it too feels "special". Everything taken care of from the student-end.

This... this is a really good idea...

[peruna11]

Now, here is where SMU screws up. They lucked out with the opening of Moody, because they had an alum who orchestrated the whole thing. Directed the intro videos, coming home was his idea, he chose the music, he did everything. But SMU decides they don't want to pay him, so he leaves and goes to Cincy, who recognize talent and pay the guy. And SMU replaces him with people who agree to have on court game presentations constantly to kill the atmosphere, will bow down to the band. They step all over themselves to ruin a good thing. Everyone knows the game presentation is not the same, the atmosphere is not the same. I made a point to drive down and fight traffic from the northern burbs for every single game before. Now, against lesser opponents, it isn't worth it because the atmosphere isn't quite the same, I don't get that rush of adrenaline. And the vicious cycle starts because the home court isn't as impenetrable, the atmosphere isn't enough to continue to wow recruits, quality of team goes down, rinse and repeat.

TRUTH

[DiamondM]

Your comment that the game management folks "bow down" to the band is laughably wrong. But this part hits the nail on the head for both football and basketball.

I appreciate the engagement. But crowd sourcing a fan base that, quite honestly, hasn't seen proper game football presentation for 40 years is like going to North Korea and asking their citizens about human rights best practices. What our university SHOULD be doing is investing in the right operations people, go get that guy back and put him in charge of running both football and basketball operations, and pay for team members to go to the top 5 football and basketball atmospheres and learn from them. Hell, send them down to interview Del Conte for 5 hours to understand what his game day principles are and how he mapped those into actions at UT. Put those principles in place immediately in basketball, and do the prep work so that our football operations are good enough to take advantage of our next good football team.

I will warn you, however, most of those Top 5 or Top 10 programs involve their bands WAY more than we do. Yes, they pipe in music at some key times, but it is not a substitute for the band. And for the record, I think every member of the band, but at the very least drum majors and directors, should also go on at least a couple of these field trips (or at least watch unedited stadium game feed) to observe what great bands are IN THE STANDS throughout the game. There is room for improvement all around.

[JasonB]

Your comment that the game management folks "bow down" to the band is laughably wrong. But this part hits the nail on the head for both football and basketball.

I appreciate the engagement. But crowd sourcing a fan base that, quite honestly, hasn't seen proper game football presentation for 40 years is like going to North Korea and asking their citizens about human rights best practices. What our university SHOULD be doing is investing in the right operations people, go get that guy back and put him in charge of running both football and basketball operations, and pay for team members to go to the top 5 football and basketball atmospheres and learn from them. Hell, send them down to interview Del Conte for 5 hours to understand what his game day principles are and how he mapped those into actions at UT. Put those principles in place immediately in basketball, and do the prep work so that our football operations are good enough to take advantage of our next good football team.

I will warn you, however, most of those Top 5 or Top 10 programs involve their bands WAY more than we do. Yes, they pipe in music at some key times, but it is not a substitute for the band. And for the record, I think every member of the band, but at the very least drum majors and directors, should also go on at least a couple of these field trips (or at least watch unedited stadium game feed) to observe what great bands are IN THE STANDS throughout the game. There is room for improvement all around.

Allow me to clarify.

When you ID the top 5 environments in both sports, you look at similar situations. You don't go study what Michigan or Notre Dame do in football or UNC/Duke in basketball. They are tradition rich programs with massive cult followings and can rely on history and heritage. You look at the top 5 programs that have been rejuvenated within the last 20 years and are top atmospheres today. Louisville football might be an example. Obviously TCU and what he has done at rejuvenating UT. UCF and USF have built programs in a short period of time, I think UCF would be regarded as a better atmosphere. Is the answer from that research "more band"? I doubt it, but honestly I shouldn't make that statement because I haven't done the research. SMU should fund an effort to execute the study, and then take actions accordingly. Because, as I mentioned before, it is likely that none of us have a clue and shouldn't be relied on for expertise.