The myth: Winning cures everything

2ndandlong · Post by **2ndandlong** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:41 am

Beat thing to do in place of raising prices is to require advanced ticket sales for big games (TCU or TAMU) to include a second or third game too.

mrydel · Post by **mrydel** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:54 am

2ndandlong wrote:Beat thing to do in place of raising prices is to require advanced ticket sales for big games (TCU or TAMU) to include a second or third game too.

Yes. This is what the Cowboys do at least with their Thanksgiving Day game. I bought tickets one year and had to buy a preseason game also.

GiddyUp · Post by **GiddyUp** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:00 pm

2ndandlong wrote:Beat thing to do in place of raising prices is to require advanced ticket sales for big games (TCU or TAMU) to include a second or third game too.

agreed. Season ticket package of some sort

Comet · Post by **Comet** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:08 pm

why not sponsor radio shows for some more exposure? Toss some money at Norm Hitzges or The Musers and have them do an SMU segment on Mondays to analyze the weekend's game and Fridays to preview the next one. Local sports enthusiasts listen to these shows, we've got to get everyone aware of SMU, and then excited for SMU.

And then some more local tv advertising is necessary. The Stampede is cool but not too many people watch FSN when there isn't a game playing. I see UTA ads on local channels, we need to do the same, use Thad's video and call it a win. I also see UTA, UNT, UTD, UT Southwestern, and TCU billboards all over DFW, but nothing from SMU.

2ndandlong · Post by **2ndandlong** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:10 pm

Comet wrote:why not sponsor radio shows for some more exposure? Toss some money at Norm Hitzges or The Musers and have them do an SMU segment on Mondays to analyze the weekend's game and Fridays to preview the next one. Local sports enthusiasts listen to these shows, we've got to get everyone aware of SMU, and then excited for SMU.

need the money to do it first but yea.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:13 pm

2ndandlong wrote:
Comet wrote:why not sponsor radio shows for some more exposure? Toss some money at Norm Hitzges or The Musers and have them do an SMU segment on Mondays to analyze the weekend's game and Fridays to preview the next one. Local sports enthusiasts listen to these shows, we've got to get everyone aware of SMU, and then excited for SMU.

need the money to do it first but yea.

I know, this is under the assumption that we go to the Big East and get more money for marketing.

2ndandlong · Post by **2ndandlong** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:16 pm

Comet wrote:
2ndandlong wrote:
Comet wrote:why not sponsor radio shows for some more exposure? Toss some money at Norm Hitzges or The Musers and have them do an SMU segment on Mondays to analyze the weekend's game and Fridays to preview the next one. Local sports enthusiasts listen to these shows, we've got to get everyone aware of SMU, and then excited for SMU.

need the money to do it first but yea.

I know, this is under the assumption that we go to the Big East and get more money for marketing.

then I'm all for it. I believe this is in the cards.

Hoop Fan · Post by **Hoop Fan** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:26 pm

the novelty of going 7-5 and going to a small bowl game could only generate late season enthusiasm once. It was a novelty in 2009 and people were interested. Going 7-5 again in June's fourth year, with a floundering offense, is not interesting to anybody but the die hards.

Other thing is going to bowl games does not make you a 'successful' program. 10 out of the 12 Big 10 teams are going bowling. Illinois just finished its season on a 6 game losing streak, coach is probably getting fired, and they are bowling. That is not success. It's just extra practice time. Not saying i am surprised or too disappointed by the season SMU just had, but it is what it is. Didn't TCU parlay its first bowl game into a 10 win season pretty quickly back in the day? thats what needs to be done, otherwise you aren't doing anything to turn any heads.

JasonB · Post by **JasonB** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:38 pm

Fact - TCU attendance didn't increase until they had a 10 win season.

Attendance will not take the next bump up until we either have a superb season or are in a BCS conference and are viewed as playing legit college football by the masses.

LHS81 · Post by **LHS81** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:50 pm

Why does this thread need a Part II?

BRStang · Post by **BRStang** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:51 pm

I think one of the big reasons for attendance problems is that the typical Dallas fan does not identify with SMU. We need to make SMU more accessible to the common sports fan. I think the common Dallas sports fan finds our campus and culture a little intimidating and unwelcoming. I'm not saying that they SHOULD feel that way, but I think that is the perception.

The "PERCEPTION" and combination of (1) rich, snobby, hoity-toity people + (2) a "guarded", uneasy to access, parking challenged campus with its gaudy, perfectly-manicured and uber-expensive looking buildings and landscaping + (3) a team that loses to teams named Tulsa and barely goes 7-5 does not foster a desire in the common Dallas sports fan to forego watching UT, aTm, or whoever on TV and drive from Rockwall or Coppell or DeSoto to HP to come to a game. It is all about PERCEPTION. We need to focus in a big way on making the common Dallas sports fan PERCEIVE that he belongs at an SMU football game (especially when he has no other connection to the school).

Insane_Pony_Posse · Post by **Insane_Pony_Posse** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:52 pm

Hoop Fan wrote:going to bowl games does not make you a "successful" program.

It certainly helps if you've been where we've been the last twenty years.

Of course we have not reached our destination....
no doubt it would've been great to win a couple more games this year. (Tulsa/Navy)
If we win those two games we are sitting right now at 9 wins.
We aren't that far away...but we are a long way from the 1-11 nightmares we suffered.

The fact that we are at the point of "whining" about which bowl we are going to
proves are we already light years away from where we were before June arrived in 2008.

"Successful" takes time.

Insane_Pony_Posse · Post by **Insane_Pony_Posse** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:55 pm

BRStang wrote: We need to focus in a big way on making the common Dallas sports fan PERCEIVE that he belongs at an SMU football game (especially when he has no other connection to the school).

Agree 100%!

ontheedgeofmyseat · Post by **ontheedgeofmyseat** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:47 pm

BRStang, right on, well said...exactly! I love SMU, proud of my degree / time there, die hard for ALL sports...but, we have an image "problem" with most non SMUers and we do a pretty durn good job of keeping that image / vibe / exclusion in play. Unless we are going to reform the SWC, our only REAL hope for increased crowds is continued winning ways coupled with strong BE interaction and some good old fashioned Russ Potts give-a-ways. Heck, back in the early 80's we drew only 20,000 for our first 2 games in 81 and 24 for TT late in the season. The UT / A$M / Hog games drew big (50+), but we really never have had big old huge crowds. I would be happy with 25+ plus per game and 30+ for some of the feature games...we seem a long way from there. BEAT BYU!!!

Pony81 · Post by **Pony81** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:48 pm

Now that we are winning and are at least getting DMN pub, the problem remains that SMU football is not an entertaining product.
Let's face it - our offense is pathetic. If I was a general football fan I would not come watch SMU because we look offensively inept. Scoring points is entertainment and we are simply not entertaining.

The way to get the non-affiliated fan is to put a winning and entertaining product on the field. Averaging 8.5 points over a stretch of games to middle tier teams is not entertaining.

Beating teams ranked as the worst in the country (Rice, Tulane, UTEP,UAB) with an offensively inept team is not going to inspire anybody to come watch.

Hell I can barely watch and I'm a big supporter. This team is not fun to watch.