Lay Off the Students/Greeks

[MustangIcon]

I will start by saying I am optimistic about the future of SMU Basketball. I like Coach Doherty and I think that while it may be tough to imagine now, we will be a good team under his direction as head coach. However, we currently are a very bad basketball team. In addition to being bad, we are not an overly fun/exciting team to watch at this point either.

I mention the current state of our Men's hoops to applaud the support of the students and specifically the Greek system. Not one time can attendance or anything related be mentioned on this board without someone piling on about lack of student support, how the Greeks only show up on their special day, how a bunch of people left early when we were only down by 30 points etc. etc. I am thankful to and impressed by any and all of our fans that show up to games when our product on the floor is frankly not good. We don't even have good entertainment value outside of the game itself to help draw fringe fans in either.

Thank you to the students that do come to games. I for one am encouraged by thinking of the kind of crowds and enthusiasm we will have once we actually put a good product on the floor.

[jtstang]

[J.T.supporta]

nothing was better than seeing Doh yell at the Fijis and Thetas for not even paying attention to the UAB game in the second half.

[SMU89]

Students at the game make it much better.

Obviously, a lot of the student support has been from the Greeks.

I believe to turn the student apathy corner, there needs to be more interest in having a common goal / interest of showing support for SMU by wearing SMU colors and the letters "SMU" vs. one's Greek letters / colors.

When you see the Blue Devils play, the fans wear the colors, logo, lettering, etc for the team. You will not see groups of people showing support for something else.

When I see the Greeks I think:
1) very glad they are here supporting and having a good time - we need them
2) now that they are attending, how can we get them to blend as one with all Greeks and Non-Greeks by wearing "SMU" letters and colors vs. advertising for and sitting with their particular affiliation.
3) wish I was back in school

The competition needs to be on the court/field not in the stands.

The stands need to be where everyone wearing the letters SMU are on the same team and have the same goal.

Again, this is not a slight on the Greeks or the system.

[mustangklick]

Students at the game make it much better.




2) now that they are attending, how can we get them to blend as one with all Greeks and Non-Greeks by wearing "SMU" letters and colors vs. advertising for and sitting with their particular affiliation.

Thank you, its very frustrating as a student who supports the team to see the greeks show up in the other team's colors half the time. I love their enthusiasm, but sometimes I feel like they miss the point. I wish they would open up to the whole school; everyone else would follow in turn.

[couch 'em]

It's better than football games, where they show up in their old frayed UT hats.