Can't stand it!

[DiamondM75]

Spaz. I think she was yelling at you just because you are "Spaz".

[smew]

These little dancers that you are referring to dont cost SMU any money and actually bring in half the crowd that shows up anyways! If you will recall, the bikers and dogs were during some of our "bigger" games of the season (opener and Baylor) and therefore they were able to actually spend money. Those acts arent cheap. $2500 for a halftime when only half of our season ticket holders even show up? cant exactly afford it.

It comes down to $$$.

[couch 'em]

I understand WHY they are brought in, but surely there are other acts that would perform at a college bball game for little or no money. Hell, why not have an open invite for students to perform something? Why not a local/SMU band that wants some exposure? Highschools? I certainly wouldn't mind if we (mustang band) had to give up our halftime performance time for something else entertaining. How about we bring in some inner-city Dallas high school band to play something at half time. It'll be nice and loud and energetic, could bring in parents, and help establish a connection to the community. Lincoln High anyone?

[OldPony]

Hmmm. Battle of the HS Bands. A month long contest with a panel of judges that judge maybe not only a few musical pieces but their spirit and interaction wiht the Mustang Band?

[MrMustang1965]

These little dancers that you are referring to don't cost SMU any money and actually bring in half the crowd that shows up anyways!

Don't be ridiculous. The Jon Benet Ramsey wannabes and their stage-door mommies don't account for a fraction of the people the games draw.

I can't tell you how embarrased my wife and stepdaughters and I were at some of the 'acts' we've seen in the past few games. Let's all remember those 'family values' that so many of you have discussed in recent years. These 'acts' don't necessarily reflect those 'family values', IMO.

[Spaz]

So which one of those kid's is yours, smew?
That's BS about that being half our audience. If it was true, there would be a significant difference between 1st and 2nd half attendance, which there isn't.
There are other alternatives, the marketing department is just getting lazy.

[PK]

Why exactly do we have to have "half-time intertainment"? The Mustang Band is great (after they have a short break) and the cheerleaders(?) could do some of their gymnastics while everyone else hits the restrooms and the snack bars. Hell, people might even talk to each other if they weren't being force fed "half-time intertainment". Wouldn't that be a nice change?

[SWC2010]

Why exactly do we have to have "half-time intertainment"? The Mustang Band is great (after they have a short break) and the cheerleaders(?) could do some of their gymnastics while everyone else hits the restrooms and the snack bars. Hell, people might even talk to each other if they weren't being force fed "half-time interainment". Wouldn't that be a nice change?

I agree, PK. How about the team taking free throw practice during half?

[smew]

I'm not saying the dancers are half of the crowd, their parents and brothers and sisters that come with them are...
I'm also not condoning what they do or how they dance, just pointing out the obvious fact that if we want better halftimes, we need more money. not everyone LOVES the band. Sorry. There is just no way to make everyone happy.

[MustangSally]

This isn't an Mustang Band vs Preteen dancers argument, smew. And Id wager that every group of 50 pips brings maybe 5-10 extra people that sit in the crowd till halftime.

To me it seems the biggest problem isn't what the pips or the dancers do, it's the fact that there's no variety. It's either the pips or dancers every game, over and over again. No one's demanding that we need top 40 pop stars singing, but just SOMETHING different.

The boy scouts did stuff for a football game, maybe they could do something like a patriotic flag presentation ceremony. Involve SMU students (that's free) like have student rock bands play a song for halftime or have the Meadows dancers come put on a little show. Invite the Multicultural Greek Council sororities and fraternities out and have them do a step competition, with the crowd cheering for the best one and the winners receive a courtside pizza party at the next game. Call it the "Stang Step-Off" or something. How about fans can sign up for a 'twist' competition at halftime as they walk in the front door. Then invite them onto the court, have the band play 'Twist and Shout' or something cheezy and pick 2 cute little girls to be the judges of who was twisting the best, eliminating one at a time. I don't know, I can't imagine this costs that much. You only need to fill up about 10 minutes of time, then let the band play a few songs, and the teams return to start warming up. The solution is variety. All the ideas I just listed are bogus if they are repeated 20 times throughout a season. Everyone thought the Pips were cute at first, but over the last 3-4 years, I must have seen roughly 40 Pip halftimes. That's just crazy.

[Eddie P]

Why do they call them "Pips" and what is the origin of this name?

[couch 'em]

"players in progress" Apparently, learning to run across the court putting the ball between your legs somehow helps you to play basketball. I guess you are working on your NBA travelling skills.

[BarbaraAnn]

"I guess you are working on your NBA travelling skills.

And Lord knows we need more travelling problems.

[MrMustang1965]

I'm not saying the dancers are half of the crowd, their parents and brothers and sisters that come with them are...
I'm also not condoning what they do or how they dance, just pointing out the obvious fact that if we want better halftimes, we need more money. not everyone LOVES the band. Sorry. There is just no way to make everyone happy.

What color is the sky in the world that you live in?

[couch 'em]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say smew is a weak attempt by a TCU band member to troll our board, because he is jealous that their band gets constantly complained about (rightly so) and we are fortunate enough to have a few fans. Or at least indifferance.