You knew it was coming: 'black out' for AFB

[Eddie P]

"pure controversy" to maybe 35 irrelevant people. non-issue to the majority of pony nation. vastly, vastly larger programs have chosen to recognize our troops in this manner. argue stupid semantics if you wish regarding which color should honor the military, how you in your infinite wisdom would choose to honor the military, etc etc etc [*]but save it for the mutiple voices in your head please

oh, soccer mom? you dont need to remind us every other post that you are a soccer mom of four. while the ability to procreate is a blessing, believe it or not, it has beem accomplished before and since your 4 miracles walked the earth. and how this has ever added any substance to any of your posts eludes me.

[DiamondM]

Even if SMU could theoretically pull off a black out, red out, white out, or polka dot out, and even if it hadn't been announced after we'd all bought non-black bowl shirts for Christmas, to do this at a game where we will at most make up half the fans is silly. And I still fail to see how wearing the color of our opponent in a game "supports the military." Is it just because our marketing department says it does? Like having the native Americans and the new Mustangs on the field at half time also somehow "supported the military" last year for the Navy game? As others have pointed out, there are many far more meaningful and effective ways to support and honor our armed forces that do not involve wearing our opponent's colors, jettisoning our own colors (however temporarily), or potentially (once again) dividing and alienating loyal long-suffering fans. Why does our marketing (and coaching?) staff insist on inciting division exactly when we should be most united, inciting negative feelings just when we should be most euphoric? It has happened again and again, and I just don't understand it.

As for pleasing the players and recruits, are you telling me the players really are going to be more motivated to win and recruits are more likely to sign because we wear special jerseys? Sounds pretty dumb to me, but even if that were true, couldn't we make some special, interesting one-time uniforms that involve our own colors for the team to be pumped about?

But even given all that, do you know how teams pull off black outs and any-color-outs? They hand out FREE shirts in that color to every person that walks in the door (unless the school has only one color that everyone already wears all the time). If our generally clueless marketing department figures that out, then I will probably put the stupid black shirt. Otherwise, highly doubtful.

[skyscraper]

Even if SMU could theoretically pull off a black out, red out, white out, or polka dot out, and even if it hadn't been announced after we'd all bought non-black bowl shirts for Christmas, to do this at a game where we will at most make up half the fans is silly. And I still fail to see how wearing the color of our opponent in a game "supports the military." Is it just because our marketing department says it does? Like having the native Americans and the new Mustangs on the field at half time also somehow "supported the military" last year for the Navy game? As others have pointed out, there are many far more meaningful and effective ways to support and honor our armed forces that do not involve wearing our opponent's colors, jettisoning our own colors (however temporarily), or potentially (once again) dividing and alienating loyal long-suffering fans. Why does our marketing (and coaching?) staff insist on inciting division exactly when we should be most united, inciting negative feelings just when we should be most euphoric? It has happened again and again, and I just don't understand it.

As for pleasing the players and recruits, are you telling me the players really are going to be more motivated to win and recruits are more likely to sign because we wear special jerseys? Sounds pretty dumb to me, but even if that were true, couldn't we make some special, interesting one-time uniforms that involve our own colors for the team to be pumped about?

But even given all that, do you know how teams pull off black outs and any-color-outs? They hand out FREE shirts in that color to every person that walks in the door (unless the school has only one color that everyone already wears all the time). If our generally clueless marketing department figures that out, then I will probably put the stupid black shirt. Otherwise, highly doubtful.

This.
Especially the needlessly dividing the fanbase part.

[CalallenStang]

Let me begin by saying that I appreciate the school's intent with this move. However, I have the following problems with the move:

1) Calling for a "BLACK OUT" in a game that the school controls less than 1/3 of the tickets in is not just dumb, it's insane. Why? Because we control less than 1/3 of the tickets! This isn't a home game, people!

2) The timing is wrong. If we were going to do a "BLACK OUT" for the bowl game, the announcement should have come when our ticket allotment went on sale. The announcement should have read as follows: "Get your tickets now in the SMU sections of Ford Stadium for the Armed Forces Bowl. SMU fans are asked to show support for the military by wearing black, so come out, cheer on your Mustangs, and help us black out the SMU sections of the stadium!" Don't announce it after everyone has spent all of their money on Christmas gifts.

3) The idea of wearing black because it shows support for the military is really strange. Yes, Army is the Black Knights. Does that mean that the entire military is black? NO! In fact, wearing black seems to only show support for the Black Knights, not for the many men and women in our Army that were not Black Knights, nor for those in the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard.

Let me be clear. I don't have an issue with our team wearing black jerseys. If we can wear white, we can wear black too. What I have an issue with is how this "BLACK OUT" has been called for.

[ALEX LIFESON]

I don't think there has ever been unity on this board! BEAT ARMY!!!

[texasmustang10]

Black jerseys/helmets will look AWESOME if done right. Black is badass color to wear in sports because it's intimidating (my high school was black with no secondary color).

SMU screwed up royally by never picking a primary team color. If you have two, then you have none. Every major D-1 football program has one main color, and the crowd looks great on TV because of it. How many times do the show the overhead view of a stadium that is split Crimson/Burnt Orange, etc. This always makes SMU's crowd look weaker than their opponent's on TV.

This season, SMU has had a white-out, red-out, blue-out and now a black-out. SMU needs to pick a single color to build its brand if they want to start to sell merchandise like a legit program. Look at Texas, they invented a great color and sell more merch than the Yankees or Cowboys.

Also, I've always hated that it's Harvard Red and Yale Blue for 2 reasons:
1) It's not the same kind of red or blue. Not even close.
2) We're not Harvard and we're not Yale. It diminishes school spirit.

All that said, I will be wearing black and getting blackout starting at 9am on the Boulevard on my 21st birthday. Does anyone know if Cox has a tent? I can't wait to drink back my tuition dollars in Dos Equis and Shiner.

[Junior]

happy early 21st!

[b_caesar]

WAY too little, WAY too late. This should have been pushed out within SECONDS of the bowl being announced, while school was still in session and the University was OPEN.

Great responses by DiamondM & CalallenStang - I'm with them. The Athletics marketing department seriously needs to pull its head out and be more timely with its planning and announcements. The University has been CLOSED for two days already for cryin' out loud. How many students, faculty or staff are even going to check their SMU email this week? How many are going to get to the game on Thursday only to find out then that the suggested color to wear was "black"? My guess is quite the lot of us.

Seriously, seriously more disappointed in SMU's Athletics administration right now. Not that there was much room for decline in the first place.

[ponyte]

Sorry SMU, but take a flying Fire truck at the moon. I didn't wear black for the DP and I don't intent to start now. I will be in blue or white but not a chance in hell I or may family will be in black.

[PK]

This is just stupid. BTW...the athletic department doesn't have a marketing department, they fired them all...remember?

[westexSMU]

eddie p says "non issue to the majority of pony nation" ? Really ? Lets see, pony fans has had over 125 posts on two "Black Out" topics in less than 2 days on this sight over Christmas . The fact is the majority of posts here describe negatively either how the athletic marketing dept. did not handle this "black out" in a timely manner for a variety of reasons or some fans don't understand supporting the Military by wearing one of our opponents colors for this game. I agree with both these statements and would instead support sending financial support to Service Men and Women overseas or their families here at Christmas time.This could be done by SMU through fan donations and/or a part of ticket sales.

[Football4ever]

Regardless of the reason for the Blackout, the fans should support the team and do this. If army fans wear black and SMU fans wear black and SMU called for a blackout and the whole stadium is filled with black on ESPN, this looks good for SMU to recruits IMO. Who wants to play where the fans dont support the teams requests?

[KnuckleStang]

Sorry SMU, but take a flying Fire truck at the moon.

I am not familiar with this expression nor its meaning, but it is my goal to work it into casual conversation before the end of the year.

As far as fans "supporting their teams requests:" I don't don't think its a good idea for SMU to be in the business of allowing its players or coaches to dictate what colors we use. No school should do that.

Beat Army!

[Football4ever]

Well, i should have worded that "the schools request". Doubt the school let the players or the coach dictate the black out. I assume that SMU would have to agree to this before it could happen.

[SMUnewbie]

a few of the boys I talked to knew nothing about black unis, but were excited to hear about the possibly, " Do we get to keep'em'..... that aside, I sure hope Soccermom was just stressed out about wrapping her 4 kids' presents yesterday morn' and will cheer loudly for our guys no matter what the heck they are wearing. Your wrong about recruits , they dig change ups on the jerseys.......black ( kick [deleted] ), red, black green, whatev....its not like we are the first to do this. Is Army changing it up from their everyday or do we hopefully get to be " That Team " . I'm hoping so. You all know the team is gonna run out in same old , which could be a good thing then I wont have to read on and on about how we got our butts kicked cuz we were distracting by the shameful black unis. Betcha you'll are tighty whitie lovers