you guys just don't get it. Dallas will not support SMU unless we pay them to attend. Its going to be SMU alumni, students, family and friends or nothing. There are stats out there showing that TCU and Baylor students ,for example attend games at a higher rate than just about any Division 1A programs in the Country. SMU literrally has about 150 show up for multiple games. SMU probably has about only 3,000 to 4,000 actual alumni who actually buy season tickets-the rest are wifes, family or friends. That is unsustainable. Hey I know you guys are shaking your heads-but guess what it ain't ever going to happen at least in the applicable time period needed-I've watched this for too long-if SMU's own alumni, students, family and friends don't attend games then this program is not going to survive as a national program. Its that simple. The fact that we are a litt' ole private school and June hasn't won 10 games means jack-squat. Private schools have to overperform support wise to stay in the game. nobody cares about all your little excuses. We are about to find out if SMU cares about nationally competitive Football and for that matter Basketball. May be different answers to separate sports.
"With a quarter of a tank of gas, we can get everything we need right here in DFW." -SMU Head Coach Chad Morris
When momentum starts rolling downhill in recruiting-WATCH OUT.
SMU needs to develop different "fan-areas" and cater to the various generations of fans and alumni in those sections. MLS is a great example of an organization that realized the way to circumvent a sparse natural fan-base is to offer differing experiences to different types of fans. There are rowdy areas, catered areas, family areas, suites, group seating areas...and they offer great, different experiences in each one. Corral is a start, but it is too far North of the action and still too exclusive-feeling for the average, non-affiliated fan on the Blvd.
I've always been interested in something like that at a clique-ish school like SMU. I don't know how you could possibly organize (Clubs and fraternities, Graduation Classes, eras etc with all the seat options and club dues but I bet someone is smart enough to figure it out.
Another major sticking point is how do you keep SMU alumni coming to games once they have kids. I'd actually rather let those kids come for free (SMU Youth Fan Groups) rather than pour money into schemes to bus in kids with no affiliation with SMU. Do those kids ever come again if they have zero affiliation to SMU, the Methodist Church, or something. Youth Football and Basketball teams I agree are a good target. Otherwise, I think its just Rent-A-Crowd thinking rather than Build-a-Fanbase thinking. Unlike some of you I want to target the SMU Community although I want to use greater resources to reach a broader group of that SMU Community. Offer new SMU Season Ticket holders free admission to any kids under 12-for one year. Then you have 6 games to sell that family on the family entertainment value of SMU Football.
"With a quarter of a tank of gas, we can get everything we need right here in DFW." -SMU Head Coach Chad Morris
When momentum starts rolling downhill in recruiting-WATCH OUT.
ponyboy wrote:No thanks for the cheese. If we have to sell our souls to the devil, I will just watch high school sports. But I do like the last idea a lot.
Sell your soul...... That's what most people in Dallas say about supporting the entitled rich [deleted] fueled up on coke cruusing uptiwn in a beamer that they identify as representing SMU.
Nice plug; for some reason, I don't feel like they do this call-in if we're still in CUSA. Could be wrong. Also nice to hear Houston Nutt compliment the facilities, even though it's not like he's going to call them crap on the air.