Interesting article in the Daily Campus

[PonyKai]

I just want to sit and drink beer and watch football.

[gostangs]

another byproduct of the beer in the stadium is that our energy level will go up. It is just a fact that a little buzz gets people off their tushes....check any pro game.

[bubba pony]

beer, beer, beer is it really that simple? it's winning against opponents that the Dallas fans heard of.

[smubrooks]

beer, beer, beer...

scotch, scotch, scotch. I love scotch.

[RyanSMU98]

beer, beer, beer...

scotch, scotch, scotch. I love scotch.

I absolutely, 100% FULLY endorse this idea!

[Cougar King]

beer, beer, beer is it really that simple? it's winning against opponents that the Dallas fans heard of.

You'd be surprised how many show up because you sell beer in the stadium. The selling of alcohol at our athletic events eventually lead to a UH tradition called Cougar Brew. It's a red beer full of secrets one isn't supposed to discuss. All you need to know is that you drink it and it makes you feel good.


And of course we sell St. Arnold's, a brand of beer exclusively brewed in Houston.

[SMUer]

Outside opinion with some relevant #s.

SMU has around 40k alumni in DFW and only about 60k in Texas from what online sources of info I have found.

DFW is massive though so the number is probably smaller than that for Dallas alone and smaller still when women are accounted for as they % wise are less likely to attend without a guy bringing them. So lets put it at 30k nearby, 15k men, +5k for their wives, kids, etc gives a 20k realistic alumni pool.

Assuming 75% show up it's 15k. Assume 40% of the 7k undergrads show and it jumps to an expected 17.8k

What this means is SMU has to get Dallas (not just the park cities) to embrace SMU and show up. So inviting a different school district to come get reduced tickets each game (Disd, Richardson, Garland, Mesquite, TAPPS, Addison, you name it. Get them to sample it and it can grow assuming they have a good time here.

Just an idea.

^^^Gets It^^^

[West Coast Johnny]

Something needs to be done regarding attendance. Its embarassing to show up at Ford on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in one of the finest settings for college football in the nation and see us draw 15K in attendance. It has been covered over and over on these boards, but it really is the #1 issue facing our athletic department. Something needs to be done at the macro level to see how this can be improved. Certainly winning is a crucial element, but there are other variables that can improve attendance. I hope that Rick Hart has this as his top agenda item to tackle here at SMU.

How bout games versus Baylor!

[bubba pony]

I can not be convinced that if SMU sold beer or alcohol at their football games the attendance would jump from 15k to, what 25K? Are there really 10k people that want to drink beer at a college football game staying away because of no alcohol in the stands? We have all been to athletic events where [deleted] holes who can't hold their liquor make trouble, are overly obnoxious and simply unpleasant to be near. so drunk fans in the stands may deter people from the game. I know that the NY Jets had to stop selling beer at the end of the 3rd quarter after a drunk fan drove his car into another car crippling a young girl whose family, rightfully sued the Jets. There is a liability issue to consider.
I'm not opposed to beer in the stands, I just can imagine SMU drawing 10,000 (or any significant number) more fans because of beer.

[ponyinNC]

Bubba- are you really comparing NY Jets fans to mild mannered mustang fans? What a terrible analogy. What a terrible anecdotal point that has zero to do with anything we are talking about.

Nobody said it would add 10k to attendance. It would however stop the mass exodus of folks that want to enjoy beer or liquor during the game or at halftime and don't have the luxury of club level seats.

Your point about alcohol abuse and drunk driving could be said about the boulevard itself. Why the problem with serving it in the stadium when it's perfectly fine and legal outside if the stadium? That makes absolutely NO SENSE.

It will increase attendance. I can't promise 10k - but I can promise you more people would come to Ford. More importantly, more folks will stay past halftime to enjoy the second half.

If you don't get it, then you don't get it. But most of us do and are in favor of it.

[couch 'em]

Let's be honest, unless you are one of us whackos on here or a player's parent, SMU games are really boring. No life at all. That's why people have social hour for a half and then leave. That's why wifi is important - you have to play on your phone to stay entertained.

The benefit of alcohol is fueling some life in the stands. Everyone except crazy MADD people must admit a bunch of people a little loosened up by a few beers is a good thing for the game.

[SMU2007]

[sbsmith]

I'm not opposed to beer in the stands, I just can imagine SMU drawing 10,000 (or any significant number) more fans because of beer.

You're right, the gains would be negligible and it still wouldn't stop people from fleeing at halftime to watch other games. Beer or no beer, we're going to have to deal with half empty stadiums until we start fielding an engaging on-field product.

[mrydel]

I do believe that beer could add to the atmosphere but I do not believe it would make an appreciable difference in attendance. I would be one that is in favor of adding beer (I think the local brewery thing and promoting it is a good idea) but again I see no way that it would entice more to the game that would be noticeable. You get more to the game by having enticing games to view that might take people away from their TVs. Like SMU/Baylor rather than SMU/Montana State. I drink beer only on very rare occasions but almost think I would rather stay at home and have a cold one rather than driving in for that game.

[PonyKai]

Let's be honest, unless you are one of us whackos on here or a player's parent, SMU games are really boring. No life at all. That's why people have social hour for a half and then leave. That's why wifi is important - you have to play on your phone to stay entertained.

The benefit of alcohol is fueling some life in the stands. Everyone except crazy MADD people must admit a bunch of people a little loosened up by a few beers is a good thing for the game.

Can I be a wacko on here and still think the games are painfully boring? Hello Tulane 2011. That was the most painful, boring, listless 20+ point win...ever...and I couldn't forgive myself for holding it against someone if they never, ever wanted to come back after sitting through that painfully long and tepid "football game."