Letter to Steve Orsini

[Col. Nathan R. Jessep]

Find myself agreeing with Stallion on the giveaway to existing ticket holders.

1st off, I'd like to see all the SOBs who have season tickets to come to the next game. There were empty ROWS, not seats, on the west 40 yd line.

NOT: Thanks for your support, but if you're not going to attend give em away. We still need someone to go thru the turnstile.

[tmustangp]

I'd give them away if I had extra tickets. Unfortunately SMU seems uninterested in anyone not paying full price. We ought to have $1 tickets for all of our remaining games, especially UAB.

yes it sounds crazy, but that is a great idea.. if it works for beer why couldn't it work for college football

[tmustangp]

Letters to Orsini are fine and good. But he can't do it all himself. For instance he might tell you that if every person who came last weekend brings a friend, we're looking at 20,000 instead of 10,000. Until we become a consistent winner, which I am hopeful we are on the path to becoming, the fans themselves can do more than Orsini can to increase attendance. Ask not what your athletic dept. can do for you; ask what you can do for your athletic dept.

what if there was a two for one deal? or a two for one family deal? as the mustang mania pointed out in the good ole days
-"empty seats don't bring in any money or exposure"

[Z-Man]

If you give away tickets to people who aren't going to pay for them anyway, you aren't out anything. Maybe they'll at least enjoy it, and start paying for tickets later when we have enough interest to stop giving them out for free.

Totally agree, also you're probably up, since those people may fork some cash over for an over-priced hotdog or coke while they're there, too.

[couch 'em]

If you give away tickets to people who aren't going to pay for them anyway, you aren't out anything. Maybe they'll at least enjoy it, and start paying for tickets later when we have enough interest to stop giving them out for free.

Totally agree, also you're probably up, since those people may fork some cash over for an over-priced hotdog or coke while they're there, too.

And more people adding to the Blvd experiance couldn't hurt either.

[Pony Fan]

If you give away tickets to people who aren't going to pay for them anyway, you aren't out anything. Maybe they'll at least enjoy it, and start paying for tickets later when we have enough interest to stop giving them out for free.

Totally agree, also you're probably up, since those people may fork some cash over for an over-priced hotdog or coke while they're there, too.

And more people adding to the Blvd experiance couldn't hurt either.

That is exactly the point I am trying to make with this. I too have bought season tickets every year since 1979 and don't really like to know that people are there for free. But, if it gets them there and they have a good time, and we win, gee, they might come back and pay for a ticket. Even though have the stadium was there on free tickets, how fun was it back in the Mustang Mania days with a full or near full Texas Stadium?

[RGV Pony]

If you give away tickets to people who aren't going to pay for them anyway, you aren't out anything. Maybe they'll at least enjoy it, and start paying for tickets later when we have enough interest to stop giving them out for free.

Totally agree, also you're probably up, since those people may fork some cash over for an over-priced hotdog or coke while they're there, too.

And more people adding to the Blvd experiance couldn't hurt either.

That is exactly the point I am trying to make with this. I too have bought season tickets every year since 1979 and don't really like to know that people are there for free. But, if it gets them there and they have a good time, and we win, gee, they might come back and pay for a ticket. Even though have the stadium was there on free tickets, how fun was it back in the Mustang Mania days with a full or near full Texas Stadium?

when it was full or near full, I think it would be more accurate to say, "Even though half the stadium was [Texas/Arkansas/a$m] fans...."

[Bergermeister]

We don't need the east side looking like the New Mexico State stadium looked vs Boise Sunday night. That's embarrassing. If we're not going to go all out for a big-time promo, at least move the students and the band to the 50 yd. line and ask everybody to sit in every-other "seat". How about "Inmate Night" and have all of the Lew Sterrett inmates sit on the east side. That would fill it up. The orange jumpsuits would look very seasonal.

[Ponyfan4ever]

Orsini and his staff are making a great effort to increase attendence for the games. I was just on the athletics website and saw the promotions they're doing for the UAB game on Halloween. They're having the "Ultimate Trick-Or-Treating Experience" Departments across campus will be setup around the concourse of the stadium with their own trick-or-treat and haunted house stations. Costume Parade All children in costumes will be invited to participate in an on-field parade. I think its a good idea to get kids involved, so in the future kids will want to come watch football and they're parents are gonna come with them. They also are having Student Spirit Competition where all the SMU students are encouraged to show their spirit for the ESPN2 audience by dressing up for Halloween and making signs. The most spirited students who participate and come to the game early will have the opportunity to receive prizes throughout the night. We have been given the chance to shine on national television, I think we'll definitely do so. I think these ideas are definitely a positive step in the right direction.

[Ponymon]

If you give away tickets to people who aren't going to pay for them anyway, you aren't out anything. Maybe they'll at least enjoy it, and start paying for tickets later when we have enough interest to stop giving them out for free.

Totally agree, also you're probably up, since those people may fork some cash over for an over-priced hotdog or coke while they're there, too.

And more people adding to the Blvd experiance couldn't hurt either.

That is exactly the point I am trying to make with this. I too have bought season tickets every year since 1979 and don't really like to know that people are there for free. But, if it gets them there and they have a good time, and we win, gee, they might come back and pay for a ticket. Even though have the stadium was there on free tickets, how fun was it back in the Mustang Mania days with a full or near full Texas Stadium?

I have 6 full pay tickets on the 50 yard line. Most of the time all are taken, but not always. I don't mind giving away free tickets, but I believe that the NCAA uses paying customers when counting attendance. It is my understanding that we need at least 15,000 PAYING butts in the seat average to keep from running into trouble with their attendance minimums. Don't get me wrong, I could care less how we get the butts in the seats and love going to games that have a full attendance. I remember in the early 80's Russ Potts giving away more tickets than Texas Stadium had seats. (I heard that he went to south Dallas for the Grambling game and gave them away by the boatload.) Some people were awfully mad that they had the same seat number as two or three other people for some games. Kind of funny unless you were the one that had to argue it out with the guy who also had your seat number!

[Arkpony]

That Happened at the Baylor game in Texas Stadium. The place was packed with families argueing over who had the right to certain seats with duplicate tickets.

[SMUBob]

That Happened at the Baylor game in Texas Stadium. The place was packed with families argueing over who had the right to certain seats with duplicate tickets.

That would be a world class problem for SMU football. Bring it on.

[Bergermeister]

I remember the Baylor game at Texas Stadium. There were hundreds/thousands of people sitting in the aisles. The place was literally "packed". I guess today the fire marshal would clear'em out. Wish we had the opportunity to see what would happen.

[BrianTinBigD]

Orsini and his staff are making a great effort to increase attendence for the games. I was just on the athletics website and saw the promotions they're doing for the UAB game on Halloween. They're having the "Ultimate Trick-Or-Treating Experience" Departments across campus will be setup around the concourse of the stadium with their own trick-or-treat and haunted house stations. Costume Parade All children in costumes will be invited to participate in an on-field parade. I think its a good idea to get kids involved, so in the future kids will want to come watch football and they're parents are gonna come with them. They also are having Student Spirit Competition where all the SMU students are encouraged to show their spirit for the ESPN2 audience by dressing up for Halloween and making signs. The most spirited students who participate and come to the game early will have the opportunity to receive prizes throughout the night. We have been given the chance to shine on national television, I think we'll definitely do so. I think these ideas are definitely a positive step in the right direction.

That is the problem. You knew to go to the web site. How does anybody else in the DFW area know about this stuff? Have you seen TV ads, heard radio ads, read about it in the paper, or heard Orsini hitting the local talk circuit to dredge up business? Nope. Good god! More people go to ponyfans.com than smumustangs.com.

[BRStang]

Orsini and his staff are making a great effort to increase attendence for the games. I was just on the athletics website and saw the promotions they're doing for the UAB game on Halloween. They're having the "Ultimate Trick-Or-Treating Experience" Departments across campus will be setup around the concourse of the stadium with their own trick-or-treat and haunted house stations. Costume Parade All children in costumes will be invited to participate in an on-field parade. I think its a good idea to get kids involved, so in the future kids will want to come watch football and they're parents are gonna come with them. They also are having Student Spirit Competition where all the SMU students are encouraged to show their spirit for the ESPN2 audience by dressing up for Halloween and making signs. The most spirited students who participate and come to the game early will have the opportunity to receive prizes throughout the night. We have been given the chance to shine on national television, I think we'll definitely do so. I think these ideas are definitely a positive step in the right direction.

That is the problem. You knew to go to the web site. How does anybody else in the DFW area know about this stuff? Have you seen TV ads, heard radio ads, read about it in the paper, or heard Orsini hitting the local talk circuit to dredge up business? Nope. Good god! More people go to ponyfans.com than smumustangs.com.

I'm sure at least 50% of people in the Metroplex visit SMUmustangs.com daily.