Charleston Pony wrote:Stallion wrote:I've gone to 99.99% of all SMU football games in the last 55 years or so whether we were competing for National Championships or competing for the Toilet Bowl and only slightly less in basketball because between about 2002-2008 I really didn't give a damn because I didn't think SMU was playing on an even academic playing field. Obviously many on here feel that you are entitled to a "great product" before you'll support the program. Deal with it-you are the typical [deleted] SMU fan and a major reason this program ain't going anywhere. You act like SMU did this to you-but every freaking school in the Country with a pulse is doing the exact same thing. Its the price to be paid that has to be paid for a small private school without large TV, Bowl, or Conference revenue source or a huge student athletic fees to fund the program
The issue should be framed as follows: Are SMU's alumni, family and friends willing to pay the price (ie cash) necessary for SMU to compete on a nationally competitive level with the prospect that its going to get incrementally more expensive each year into the future. I think the answer for a long time has been-right or wrong-good or bad-that its likely not economically viable for SMU to compete at a national level over the long term and therefore we will compete at the level we can afford based upon an abysmal fan base.
Truth hurts
We are in the basketball thread so let's keep on topic of basketball. We are well aware of your football trials and tribulations and, to be fair, you are absolutely right with respect to football.
So let's answer the question - are there enough SMU fans or people in general who want to support and/or go to SMU basketball games thereby making SMU bball viable? The answer is obvious if you're asking me - yes. I mean upper blue section tickets to big games a few years ago went for like $250 a pop! My friends sold their season tickets via ticket companies because they couldn't believe the demand. Now, on the giving side I think you can sustain SMU basketball. Basketball is an entirely different (and much smaller) animal than football. And so, if you concede the point that alumni giving (smoothed for ups and downs over time) can sustain what is necessary to be a nationally relevant program - then what we are seeing is an absolute collapse of game demand which is the 2nd part of the puzzle and a part we had!
Everyone here is smart enough to know why, so now it's on the school to respond. Or you can blame people for having legit gripes about coaching and recruiting based off of recent results.
Now back to football - f'ing Nick Saban just recently had to admonish the student body so they would show up to cupcake games. Nobody is immune from 2018 where there are dozens of other things to do besides go watch uninspiring athletic events. Give me an SMU vs UCONN game where nobody shows up no matter how bad we are, and that is when we can trash ourselves.