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"It's fall break, so the students aren't here."

So that explains where everyone was... Except fall break had been over for 2 days.

NY Pony wrote:"It's fall break, so the students aren't here."

So that explains where everyone was... Except fall break had been over for 2 days.

Discussing student attendance is pointless. The vast majority of SMU students are not going to support/attend SMU football games. They never have (last 50 years). No sense complaining. Move on.

Last 50 years? That's just not true. I've been to games at SMU since 1955 and I can attest to attendance over the years.

Theres only 6000, and I believe 3000 of them show up to the game every time. So with that math, does 3000 even matter. 15000 fans attend the game! 18000 fans attend the game! Doesnt really sound much better. So its more the fact that SMU doesnt have Dallas support and probably very little of Park Cities.

Bergermeister wrote:

NY Pony wrote:"It's fall break, so the students aren't here."

So that explains where everyone was... Except fall break had been over for 2 days.

Discussing student attendance is pointless. The vast majority of SMU students are not going to support/attend SMU football games. They never have (last 50 years). No sense complaining. Move on.

They mentioned it in the show. It's either a factual error or a total red herring looking to blame our students for poor attendance. Its interesting.

At 21:48 Randall Joyner has a good attitude about the lack of fans.

"Us against the world. We don't need nobody else but everybody in red and everybody in these stands."

It seems that at least some of the players appreciate the ones who do come out and stay for the whole game. I'll be there supporting them of course, it's good to feel wanted for once

I just don't understand. For every other sport in the world, basically nobody gives a [deleted] about your game, except the parents, until and if you're good enough to turn pro. Baseball. Soccer. Golf. Swimming. Tennis. You play hard because you are competitive and you want to win. Apparently football athletes need something else, because if 3K fans don't show-up, they just don't play as well. Good grief. Play a string out games you can be proud of before griping about attendance.

University of Texas coming after 2 straight mind boggling embarrassing performances, 2 straight disappointing years and rampant speculation about the future of its Head Coach gets 5th highest attendance of all time last Saturday. SMU gets about-trying to be charitable-8,000-10,000 of its own fans-and about 10,000 maybe 12,000 to its game in a game against its only future rival in Big East and after the only time in SMU History that we have gone to 3 straight bowl games. Back to the excuses. There were probably more absent SMU season ticket holders in SMU's miniscule 10,000 number than there were in the entire stadium in Austin-which was packed. UT's fans were pissed but they still showed up.

Stallion wrote:University of Texas coming after 2 straight mind boggling embarrassing performances, 2 straight disappointing years and rampant speculation about the future of its Head Coach gets 5th highest attendance of all time last Saturday. SMU gets about-trying to be charitable-8,000-10,000 of its own fans-and about 10,000 maybe 12,000 to its game in a game against its only future rival in Big East and after the only time in SMU History that we have gone to 3 straight bowl games. Back to the excuses.

Yeah, that's depressing.

Yeah but UT has had a history of winning and a city that has no other sports teams to compete with within a 2 hour + drive. They can be embarrassing now given those facts. For us, we have to deal with cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks etc. we went to three no name bowl games (at least in the eyes of Dallas) we have a undergrad body of 6000 where as Texas has like 50K. I mean this is ultimate apples to orange comparison ever. Lol

What would happen to SMU attendance if we had the same number of alumni, the same long, long, long run of success, were in a city with no other viable entertainment options, were playing on a Saturday rather than a Thursday, and were currently ranked in the Top 25 in the BCS standings?

This is apples and orangutans.

The DFW area also has a lot more people than the Austin area.

SMU_Alumni11 wrote:For us, we have to deal with cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks etc...

How relevant is that really? How many people honestly say: "I'm a fan of SMU football, but instead of going to their game Saturday I'm going to a Mavericks (or Rangers game)."? It's an easy cop out to blame pro teams but maybe the real blame rests with SMU.

What suggestions do you have to solve the problem?

I was attending games during the startup of the Dallas Cowboys/Texans rivalry. I saw Johnny Unitas and the Colts beat the Cowboys in the Cotton Bowl before 12,000 people while SMU was drawing huge crowds to their games. As the Cowboys became increasingly popular, SMU attendance dropped off. It WAS the professional football Spectacle that drew fans away. Not a lack of SMU talent.