Being a Fan - Advice Please

[EastStang]

After the Cowboys get out of playoff contention and the Rangers' playoffs are over, and we're winning and the brie and chablis crowd decides it chic to go to SMU games, you'll be getting things like, "this is barbaric isn't it Trey?" "Why, yes Babs, the man got spittle on my ascot".

[BIGHORSE]

With the wsu game being on tv, maybe more of us should sit on the east side

so it won't look as empty on tv.

[tristatecoog]

The east side is definitely more spirited, in between students and visiting fans.

We got endzone seats and sat on row 19 at the 50 the last game. The group of six in front of us left at halftime due to some "weather."

I expect TCU to be a raucous game. I was at the win over TCU after their OU win. That was crazy fun. I think it's just hard to get up for UAB, especially when they bring 100 fans and just lost to FAU. At least they're a C-USA team.

[Topper]

I have the same diagnosis as pro golver Phil Mickelson. Psoriatric Arthritis. Very difficult to stand up and very painful to stand for a prolonged time. Fortunately I sit in the club level where the crowd goes more for comfort than rowdiness. I was very rowdy when I was an undergrad, but many of us are either old or can't do the things we used to do. There is plenty of room in the student section for those who want that experience and I say good for you. But please don't criti cize those of us who just can't do it anymore. Many of us, and Im not a senior citizen yet, just feel like one, have given to SMU for many years and some of us left it out on th field when we were younger. Just have a little compassion.

I don't know if you were addressing a specific poster or the thread in general, but I completely understand and respect where you are coming from. Had he tapped us on the shoulder and asked us to sit, explaining what you just did, I assure you it would have been a much better game experience for everyone involved.

Instead, he tersely told us to sit and went straight up the stairs for security, leading to discussions with both security and the Sheriff's Dept.

I agree that the man over-reacted. And I agree that we need more butts in the seats and more noise from our fans. If I could I would rather be down there with you and your friends raising hell.

[mathman]

With the wsu game being on tv, maybe more of us should sit on the east side

so it won't look as empty on tv.

Leave the flag in 203.

[SMU89]

I have the same diagnosis as pro golver Phil Mickelson. Psoriatric Arthritis. Very difficult to stand up and very painful to stand for a prolonged time. Fortunately I sit in the club level where the crowd goes more for comfort than rowdiness. I was very rowdy when I was an undergrad, but many of us are either old or can't do the things we used to do. There is plenty of room in the student section for those who want that experience and I say good for you. But please don't criti cize those of us who just can't do it anymore. Many of us, and Im not a senior citizen yet, just feel like one, have given to SMU for many years and some of us left it out on th field when we were younger. Just have a little compassion.

I don't know if you were addressing a specific poster or the thread in general, but I completely understand and respect where you are coming from. Had he tapped us on the shoulder and asked us to sit, explaining what you just did, I assure you it would have been a much better game experience for everyone involved.

Instead, he tersely told us to sit and went straight up the stairs for security, leading to discussions
with both security and the Sheriff's Dept.

I agree that the man over-reacted. And I agree that we need more butts in the seats and more noise from our fans. If I could I would rather be down there with you and your friends raising hell.

Topper, glad you are coming to the games and rooting on the Mustangs.

Beat Washington State

[BIGHORSE]

With the wsu game being on tv, maybe more of us should sit on the east side

so it won't look as empty on tv.

Leave the flag in 203.

I have more flags if you want to borrow one.

[smusic 00]

I have the same diagnosis as pro golver Phil Mickelson. Psoriatric Arthritis. Very difficult to stand up and very painful to stand for a prolonged time. Fortunately I sit in the club level where the crowd goes more for comfort than rowdiness. I was very rowdy when I was an undergrad, but many of us are either old or can't do the things we used to do. There is plenty of room in the student section for those who want that experience and I say good for you. But please don't criti cize those of us who just can't do it anymore. Many of us, and Im not a senior citizen yet, just feel like one, have given to SMU for many years and some of us left it out on th field when we were younger. Just have a little compassion.

I don't know if you were addressing a specific poster or the thread in general, but I completely understand and respect where you are coming from. Had he tapped us on the shoulder and asked us to sit, explaining what you just did, I assure you it would have been a much better game experience for everyone involved.

Instead, he tersely told us to sit and went straight up the stairs for security, leading to discussions with both security and the Sheriff's Dept.

That being said, I started the thread for advice. Considering PF posters are some of the most dedicated fans we have, I appreciate the responses. I gather if you want to stand most of the game and be rowdy, set up shop next to the students on the East side. If you want to mostly sit, but cheer however you please, you're welcome on the West.

I am hoping that some of the louder fans that want to be on their feet will join us over there. In the meantime, some of us are talking to the school about promoting a section just for this purpose.

As it stands, many of us are frustrated by indications from the school that they discourage a loud stadium and creating a home field advantage. Some of us are trying to do something about it, without the cost of losing a fan.

Sounds a little like what the English Premier League teams do with their fans. There are sections behind the goal for the real die-hards who stand the entire game, lead songs and chants, taunt, cuss, push, and be rowdy...they love it. On the tickets for the rest of the seats it clearly states NO STANDING. You will be kicked out if you stand for an extended time. It really makes for a strange fan experience. When a big play happens, everyone jumps up, then squats back down within seconds. But no one ever has their view blocked.

[DiamondM]

you crazy mixed up kids
smack talking the opponent blows PERIOD
Whether it is Texas Tech or SMU
Just yell for your own team

I find myself agreeding with Stallion more and more. Is it a sign of the Apocalypse?

Although clever chanting at the other team is effective and acceptable in basketball.

[DiamondM]

MAKE NOISE
Bring a cow bell
Bring an Iron Skillet and beat it with a wooden spoon.

This is the duty of all members of the MUSTANG MILITIA

Be loud and proud.

Do not bring a cow bell, horn, or other noisemaker. Real fans yell, clap pound on the seats, whatever, but don't use artifical, annoying means to enhance your sound.

[Harry0569]

MAKE NOISE
Bring a cow bell
Bring an Iron Skillet and beat it with a wooden spoon.

This is the duty of all members of the MUSTANG MILITIA

Be loud and proud.

Do not bring a cow bell, horn, or other noisemaker. Real fans yell, clap pound on the seats, whatever, but don't use artifical, annoying means to enhance your sound.

I had a buddy who went to the Miss. State game on Thursday night, and due to the clanging off the cowbells couldn't hear out of one ear on Saturday. Personally, I don't care what you bring as long as NO THUNDER STICKS are involved. I hate those things

[ponydawg]

Over on Killerfrogs they have a very similar story to Peruna11's post, but the police got involved and told the blue hair he needed to move his seat if he didn't want to stand. The police weren't going to make everyone sit for one person. Granted he was on the east side of the stadium next to the student section. Didn't go thru all 12 pages, but there are cases made by both sides and both have good points. But I think the gist of what they were saying was if you want to stand the whole game sit by the students. If you want to stand and sit, sit on the westside. If you can only sit, then sit near the "handicapped" section. They had a lot of people saying they wish they could stand for fours hours, but they just can't do it anymore, but love to get up on 3rd down and when the time calls for it.


http://www.killerfrogs.com/msgboard/ind ... pic=121031

[mrydel]

When Ponyte watches a game at my house he stands the whole time. Some people just like to stand.

[Hilltop]

I know this thread is getting old by this point, but I just returned into town and it took a little while to get fully caught up on situation. In posting this, I'm really not trying to stir anything up, but get out the full story of what happened during the game. For anyone who doesn't know, I was in the group with Peruna11 on Saturday and I was the individual who was pulled from the section to have a "conversation" with the Dallas Sheriff officers. I feel like Peruna11 has done a great job of getting the issue out there and describing the events, but there are few other items that need to be mentioned.

First off, I have had season tickets to SMU since I graduated in 2002. While my tickets have moved all over the stadium, I currently hold two seats in the stadium club and two seats in section 106. While I greatly appreciate the fans that are in the stadium club and especially the contributions that many of these patrons make to the school in general, the atmosphere is not really what I am looking for in a college football game. As a result, I prefer to sit in section 106 where my group of friends have had seats for at least the last three years.

Every home game, we are a very noisy group and we definitely stand more than we sit. Now this is not to say that we stand the entire game, but it is more than just standing on 3rd downs and touchdowns. I understand this can become frustrating to some fans, but I assure you it is not the intention of any of our group to offend those around us. During the UAB game, our group was really fired up and not only stood a great deal, but also participated in chants and cheering. We have a number of other individuals that have sat around us for the last couple of years and have never received a complaint from them during a game. It is important to point out that at no point during this game did we use any profanity or engage in lewd behavior.

Sometime during the 1st quarter, an older female fan behind me asked if I would sit down. I completely agree that by standing up, I was obstructing her view, but also noticed that there were a number of open seats in front and to the side of us. I explained that I would likely be standing more than sitting and offered to swap seats with them or help them move down a couple of rows so that I was not obstructing their view. She found this offer unacceptable and had her husband retrieve an usher to come down and visit with me further. The usher politely asked if I would sit for the rest of the game and I told him that these were my season ticket seats, I had had these seats for several years, and that I did not intend to sit for the remainder of the game. He repeated my position and then left. About 10 minutes later the Sheriff’s deputies arrived and asked me to step into the aisle. At this point there were approximately 12 to 15 people standing in our area, but they wanted to visit with me because apparently I was the “ring leader” for our “troubling actions”. The officers and I visited for several minutes in a very calm manner, though they did say twice that by not sitting down the rest of the game, I was disrespecting an officer. I was very emphatic that I respected their position and their authority, but that it was an extreme request for a sporting event. They continued to push their point, and I also started to get the feeling that my position was quickly going to get me escorted from the facility and temporarily housed in a controlled structure off of University Blvd. As much as I enjoy Bubba’s Chicken biscuits, the prospect of spending a night in jail did not sound so appealing and so I loosely conceded to their request for the remainder of the half and then went to the other side in the fourth quarter.

During this time, there were also numerous comments from the surrounding fans to the officers supporting my rights to cheer and I would like to thank those who helped out. The entire situation was both personally and professionally embarrassing.

I am a huge SMU fan, and while I appreciate that there are those who would like to sit quietly and watch the game, it is not the atmosphere I imagine when I think Division I College Football. I think it is embarrassing for the school that this situation even occurred and I am confident they will take immediate action to find a solution for everyone.

I would also like to say though, that pushing those who wish to cheer or stand up more often to less desirable seats does not seem like the most logical conclusion. I have travelled all over the country to watch The Mustangs play and also sat in empty stadiums to cheer for teams that would go winless. Just because I am an enthusiastic fan does not mean that I deserve an obstructed view. I think, they need to convert at least one full section on the west side across from the students to a louder section. This way, our stadium might be able to participate in cheers and chants that we see at other stadiums throughout the country.

I have been cheering for SMU when there was nothing to cheer for. Now that our school is on its way to respectability, I hope SMU finds a way to help promote school spirit, not silence it. In my previous experiences with the school, they have always tried to help open doors, not shut them and I am optimistic that they will continue this approach regarding this topic. Thank you to those who support a louder Ford Stadium and hopefully we can find a compromise that works for everyone.

GO MUSTANGS, BEAT WAZZU!!!

[PK]

Just because I am an enthusiastic fan does not mean that I deserve an obstructed view.

It is unfortunate that you have a problem where you have chosen to sit for the games. Was your view obstructed when you sat down? Perhaps the folks behind you had a sentiment similar to yours above. It is a problem no doubt, but in a situation where you have a mix of people of various ages one sometimes needs to compromise so everyone can enjoy the game. It is possible to make lots of noise while seated as well as when standing. There are similar problems when there are small children in the area running around and making non-game related noise. It's their stadium too and so one makes accommodations to live with it as best possible.