I came down to SMU for the Rutgers game - and I was absolutely shocked at the level of disinterest in SMU football from fans, alums, and even players. Granted, it was drizzling and 11am and family weekend - but those are hardly excuses worth noting.
Announced attendance was 19,436. Actual attendance was more like 16K, and once RU went up 21-0, I would say there were about 6000 people there to watch the comeback and 3OTs.
I was handed free tickets by one of the greatest SMU qbs ever (lance mcilhenny) and my friend and I literally walked down to the front row at kickoff and watched from behind the SMU bench. If I wanted those seats for a Clemson or UNC game, I'd have to pay big money. But at SMU, there were plenty open for all. We stayed until the bitter end, as real fans should do.
I'd like to offer real suggestions to our administration and AD office on ideas for increased attendance (other than the obvious answer, which is to WIN games!) - and was hoping some folks from other schools might be able to help. If you've found certain promotions/ideas to work, what has not worked, why your attendance is better or worse than you think your program deserves, etc, please let me know.
We need to do something here to increase fan support. It is very, very bad. Ticket prices are not the problem- many free seats if you want them.
Personally, I think we need a new energetic coach to sell SMU to the local Dallas community, recruit high level local kids and start from there. Get rid of the rich, snobby ads and go hard to be "Dallas' Team" - we need your help to rep Dallas over Ft worth, Houston, etc. We may need to cheat a little and sign a Manziel/RG3 type player that transcends cfb and that we can build a program around.
Thanks.
I'd look real hard at what UTSA did. Granted, they face less competition---but the they are selling a less well known product. I see no reason SMU football cant consistently sell out a 32K stadium and force an expansion one day.
As long as the elites are in charge at SMU...even if SMU has a fun team to watch...99.9% of those in Dallas (casual football fans without a tie to SMU) do not want to mingle with "SMU types"...and SMU Elites are just fine with that...which is why most of their games are usually attended by "like individuals".
Until SMU makes those middle income football fans feel WELCOMED on their campus...nothing (i.e. fan support) will change.
Craig James bobblehead night?
I personally find it very difficult to come up with ideas that will realistically increase fan attendance in the short run. I'm usually pretty good with operational issues in a business but this one is a stumper for me and I think I know why. I think that the problem here is that the difference between a regular business and this sports business is emotional attachment. While a lot of businesses try to get their customers to form that emotional attachment, most businesses aren't based on that. This one is.
I think that the only short term way(and really its mid term) is to win. And then dividends are only coming in after almost a whole season of winning. The really effective but long term way is to create an emotional attachment to your community. Have the players go out and do some community events where young kids are awed at meeting them. Do father son promotional games. An adult ticket and a child ticket and a hat and two hot dogs or something of that type. Have the team put on a clinic with the players for local little league, middle school, and high school players(if any of that is allowed). But short term there is nothing I can see but winning big. I'm not 100% sure but I think that the only thing that has somewhat helped for a particular game or two is having a bunch of local HS cheerleaders get to do the halftime show.
Of course it should go without saying that once you fill a stadium, make sure that they have a GREAT time there. Gameday has to be fun, otherwise they're not going to care to come back.
(10-11-2013 10:06 AM)Carolina Stang Wrote: [ -> ]Announced attendance was 19,436. Actual attendance was more like 16K, and once RU went up 21-0, I would say there were about 6000 people there to watch the comeback and 3OTs.
A lot of people have been saying that the SMU has mentally checked out of the season, following the example of the Head Coach. But coming back from 21-0 and forcing the game in to 3 OT's is not something that a team does if it has already quit. Regardless of what happens to JJ, I think SMU is going to inflict a lot of pain on other teams for the rest of this season.
Thanks for the suggestions and support. I do what I can as an out of state alum, but it was very frustrating to see the apathy on campus wrt to SMU football. I was embarassed to bring an outsider.
Something really has to change - and I agree with the poster above about the "emotional attachment" of fans to their schools - and I think SMU really lacks that emotional support from fans, alums, and the city in general. The problem is - if you can't get current students or local alumni to attend - there is no way to get the t-shirt fans without winning consistently.
On the flip side, there is a real buzz around BB season and Larry Brown and I can see the results of increased recruiting, exposure and conference affiliation.
I'm not sure what SMU can do. People either care or they don't. How was SMU attendance before the death penalty?
Win. We UC fans speak from experience. Win, and they will come.
I know it is different here in Greenville vs. in Dallas. But one of the things Skip did was recruit locally. At least in my mind, he would recruit a local standout from two counties away, for example. Now the local newspaper has another reason to cover our games, to write about their local boy. Now since they are only 30min-1hr away, people come to our games and watch the local boy.
Once "new fans" get here, hopefully our tailgate and stadium atmosphere keep them coming, even after their local guy has graduated.
I can't count the number of articles I read from the small community papers about their local FB player playing here.
I watched some of that game and I was shocked at how few people attended.
I'm scratching my head about USF attendance also... and as another out-of-state fan it's killing me. Wish I could be there for every game. USF clearly draws extremely well when we're winning, or against big name opponents... But we clearly can't draw flies to our NFL home when we're losing. That's disturbing. I know the Rays and Bucs were/are having similar problems to one degree or another.... The Rays so much (having trouble drawing with playoff caliber teams) that the Houston media was discussing it last season.
I get flamed every time I say this (making 'excuses') but if you look at these crazy college fanbases, they are generally the only game in town. And they have been playing for about a century. That's hard for a new program with pro competition to compete with... especially in a down economy. But I think USF tix are cheap. Every AAC program should be able to get at a MINIMUM a solid 25K in the stands, even in a down year.
It will come... gotta keep building our collective AAC house up.
(10-11-2013 10:06 AM)Carolina Stang Wrote: [ -> ]I came down to SMU for the Rutgers game - and I was absolutely shocked at the level of disinterest in SMU football from fans, alums, and even players. Granted, it was drizzling and 11am and family weekend - but those are hardly excuses worth noting.
Personally, I think we need a new energetic coach to sell SMU to the local Dallas community, recruit high level local kids and start from there. Get rid of the rich, snobby ads and go hard to be "Dallas' Team" - we need your help to rep Dallas over Ft worth, Houston, etc. We may need to cheat a little and sign a Manziel/RG3 type player that transcends cfb and that we can build a program around.
Thanks.
Recruiting local kids will not help. Tulsa has tried that twice and it failed. People are not going to see a football team play because local kids are on the team...fans have no affiliation with those palyers. They went to see some of them in high schools, but that was because they were connected to that high school....their kids attending etc. That does not transfer to watching local kids play in college.
Trying to be "Dallas team" will not work either......the Cowboys are Dallas team and nothing will change that.
We tried cheating and we all know how that worked out. Sorry to rain on the parade, but it is what it is.
Getting a new coach that wins is absoultely necessary, but I doubt we ever see packed stadiums at Ford. If we could just average 20,000 actual fans in the seats I would be happy.
(10-11-2013 10:33 AM)Carolina Stang Wrote: [ -> ]On the flip side, there is a real buzz around BB season and Larry Brown and I can see the results of increased recruiting, exposure and conference affiliation.
Of course, nothing beats winning for attendance.
But I think that having a winning program in a sport like basketball can help create excitement in football. It helps establish an athletic brand and pride. If Memphis basketball had traditionally been as bad as Memphis football, I don't think Memphis would have had the pride to pull football out of the near-abyss it's been in recently.
When we were trying to build our football program we required basketball season ticket holders to purchase season football tickets as well. Attendance grew because of the great fun tailgating and the hiring of Howard Schnellenberger.
I know there is interest with SMU's basketball and Larry Brown. I would capitalize on that strength and use it as leverage. If you are forced to buy the tickets you just might show up.
Winning helps.
There were years where we (Rutgers) were averaging 15K in the stands. We're not there anymore. We got the right coach to bring us up from the doldrums, started having seasons where we won more than 2 games and people did come.
Winning and trying to become Dallas's college team are really the only things that will do it. I'm not sure what the comments about SMU not being welcoming to casual fans are really about, but if that is the case it needs to be addressed. Without casual fans, you will not be able to build your program.
(10-11-2013 10:46 AM)Bull Wrote: [ -> ]I'm scratching my head about USF attendance also... and as another out-of-state fan it's killing me. Wish I could be there for every game. USF clearly draws extremely well when we're winning, or against big name opponents... But we clearly can't draw flies to our NFL home when we're losing. That's disturbing. I know the Rays and Bucs were/are having similar problems to one degree or another.... The Rays so much (having trouble drawing with playoff caliber teams) that the Houston media was discussing it last season.
I get flamed every time I say this (making 'excuses') but if you look at these crazy college fanbases, they are generally the only game in town. And they have been playing for about a century. That's hard for a new program with pro competition to compete with... especially in a down economy. But I think USF tix are cheap. Every AAC program should be able to get at a MINIMUM a solid 25K in the stands, even in a down year.
It will come... gotta keep building our collective AAC house up.
Honestly, given everything that happened with the Big East, and being left out of "the club," I can't blame USF fans for being "down" and feeling less interested. Throw in the bad start, and it's just a perfect storm for apathy to spread.
I'm not sure. I think its more the personality of the fanbase than it is marketing. Maybe that comes with winning. I don't know.
Is this your first pony game in a while?
I haven't been yet this year. been out of town for about every home game
I'm a horrible murican fan.
Smu has always had one of the most apathetic fanbases in Cfb.