Colleges with primarily WASP fans

[couch 'em]

Maybe we could pay off some local rapper of note to hold a show on the boulevard, set up a kind of urban zone stuff that may appeal to inner city youth, give away some urban looking SMU gear give away beer, have a general good time. Gotta get people on campus.

I still like my platinum oversized flava-flav style pony logo necklaces and endzone "cash money" cannons for when we score TDs. It'll help us represent.

[One Trick Pony]

Walk up to any BLVD space with one of these and you will not feel like a mooch. And you won’t have to feel out of place. Oh I forgot it’s not allowed.

[ponyinNC]

I came back for Homecoming against Houston with my fiance. Aside from the terrible weather, I am an alum of both Dedman College and Dedman School of Law and even I felt a bit out of place.

Went to my old fraternity tent, but didn't know anyone. Got free food and drinks at law school tent which was really cool and alumni tent which was great. My fiance couldn't believe everything was free everywhere we went. Met some very cool folks at the Special Delivery Tent, very welcoming and Mark gave us beer and it was so cool seeing all of the SMU gear. The rain came down, and we hopped under the closest tent we could find, which happened to be the gigantic SMU football helmet. It had TV's inside, and we asked permission to shelter from the rain for a bit.

I am a huge SMU fan, to the point that my friends in NC and DC call me "smoo", and I attend the closest away games that I can get to (Navy, ECU, Marshall, etc) but have only been back to Dallas twice since 2003. Great atmosphere, but after being away for so long I felt a little like an outsider. And I spent 7 years here.

[smudubs]

I will say this, when I was at SMU, my household income was below $30,000. The most affluent African-American athletes had a household income in the $60k range. While that was 15 years ago, to us, all SMU students were rich. It's a matter of perception.

By way of example, when we reported to camp my first year, I remember a conversation I had with two walk on players in the cafeteria. I told them that I had heard that everyone at SMU who was not an athlete was rich. I asked the two guys if they were rich. One said his dad made over $250k a year. The other had a 15 bedroom house with an indoor pool. Needless to say, my poor country mom would not have fit in well with that crowd and would not have come to the blvd.

Finally, I doubt the majority of the fans on the boulevard would welcome JG's family as they walked up with the giant picture of JG and T. Reed. I talked to them at the Rice game and they were wonderful folks. I will do an experiment at the UTEP game. I will walk to random tents where I know no one and report how welcoming they are on PF.

The key, in my opinion is to get more people who are on the boulevard into the stadium for the game. I have talked t far too many people on the vard who did not intend to go to the game. I have even offered them tickets and they say no.

[One Trick Pony]

I was drinking free beer in about 5 seconds with SMU gear on @ Utep , TT, and Marshall with their fans.

[dirtysouthpony]

I'm the parent of a freshman on the football team. I'm from Atlanta,GA, and I've tailgated at UGA, Auburn, and University of Tennessee (our UT on the east coast). I'm intrigued by this whole concept of "varding." I'm coming down for parents weekend, and I'm stoked for my first visit to the hilltop. Thanks for posting all of this good info.

[Water Pony]

I'm the parent of a freshman on the football team. I'm from Atlanta,GA, and I've tailgated at UGA, Auburn, and University of Tennessee (our UT on the east coast). I'm intrigued by this whole concept of "varding." I'm coming down for parents weekend, and I'm stoked for my first visit to the hilltop. Thanks for posting all of this good info.

You will feel right at home and will enjoy yourselves immensely. The Boulevard is quite the game day experience and the setting in the middle of the campus adds to the excitement. Welcome to Big D!

[35straight]

...... I've never seen a wisp of SMU trying to attract anyone from the demographic that seems to me makes up the bulk of any football game crowd - the lower middle class family and the single male age 18-35..... .

UNT Grads?

[NickSMU17]

. The rain came down, and we hopped under the closest tent we could find, which happened to be the gigantic SMU football helmet. It had TV's inside, and we asked permission to shelter from the rain for a bit.

I

That is where you can find me...

[ponyboy]

Yes, pretty much everyone is inviting, but basic human nature says that most won't do this, especially if the people in the tent are clearly of a different social class. I know this from my experience of bringing friends to games. They feel out of place, even when there is no need to be.

Listen, I graduated from SMU and live in UP and still feel a bit out of place with the bling that's being thrown down on the Boulevard. We just appear to be Range Rover driving Biffs and Muffys dragging our Paris Hilton daughters around. Regular joes are unfortunately rare.

[Mexmustang]

These are some good ideas. But, as far as the BLVD is concerned I wouln't know who to address.

We apparently we have turned down the level of our recruiting efforts here in Dallas in favor of out of state high schools --save for the effort to reach inner city kids. But, a "Prospective New Student Tent" by the Admissions group might be a good idea, or just a Welcome Tent near the practice field, with maps and BLVD rules to make people feel welcome-paper name tags, some red cups, etc. Many would like to bring soft coolers of beverages but don't know the rules. If they bring some 'starters- a cold six pack, and have plastic cups' by the time they run out they are bound to have made some new friends that have some cool ones left.

I think for a newcomer, getting here early and knowing the rules would make them feel more welcome and less tentative. Even a short description of the various sponsored tents: visiting team fan location and the purpose of some of these tents alumni, alumni, fraternities, schools (law, business, divinity, etc.) and which ones sell tickets for meals or cold drinks. I am not aware of a website that new fans could go to, maybe Brad could help us?

If we really want to make it a positive fan experience for those outside of the faithful 700; we need to start marketing on our own campus.

[ponyinNC]

. The rain came down, and we hopped under the closest tent we could find, which happened to be the gigantic SMU football helmet. It had TV's inside, and we asked permission to shelter from the rain for a bit.

I

That is where you can find me...

thanks for the shelter from the rain!! Trying to make it a yearly event to go to at least one SMU home game...as much as I love the beach, I miss my mustangs.

[joeybradford]

I know a friend of mine feels too uncomfortable to socialize in the blvd with anyone she doesn't know already. She has plenty of money but feels uncomfortable as a Native American. People are quite often communicating in ways that are racial slurs to her race (like saying redskins or tomahawk chops at sporting events). She goes to games with other women in her family from teens to, at one time, over 90 but hasn't even gone to the blvd for 15 or 20 years.
You might hear them speaking a dying native language at the football games.

I haven't been blvding since '93 but it doesn't have anything to do with money or class just usually a tight schedule where I usually get in and get out.

[03Mustang]

I know a friend of mine feels too uncomfortable to socialize in the blvd with anyone she doesn't know already. She has plenty of money but feels uncomfortable as a Native American. People are quite often communicating in ways that are racial slurs to her race (like saying redskins or tomahawk chops at sporting events). She goes to games with other women in her family from teens to, at one time, over 90 but hasn't even gone to the blvd for 15 or 20 years.
You might hear them speaking a dying native language at the football games.

I haven't been blvding since '93 but it doesn't have anything to do with money or class just usually a tight schedule where I usually get in and get out.

Most confusing post ever, or just the least funny?

[jtstang]

Met some very cool folks at the Special Delivery Tent, very welcoming and Mark gave us beer and it was so cool seeing all of the SMU gear.

Not surprising, Mark and the Special D guys are good people.