Where are all the SMU fans?

[Boomer]

On ‎11‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 11:09 PM, WeWere#2Once said:

 Sounds painfully familiar. I'm going to take a long hard look internally before I comment on another team's attendance. 

This - we will have that opportunity this Saturday when we walk into a stadium to see the home team play for its seniors, a chance to host the conference champion game, the best season record ever, and other program/individual records.

But of course some of us will point toward the noon start and it being Thanksgiving weekend so they will sleep better at night!

[WoolyBully]

1 hour ago, Boomer said:

This - we will have that opportunity this Saturday when we walk into a stadium to see the home team play for its seniors, a chance to host the conference champion game, the best season record ever, and other program/individual records.

But of course some of us will point toward the noon start and it being Thanksgiving weekend so they will sleep better at night!

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/big-12/texas-christian-university/article103821221.html

 

Quote

Maybe the Friday night game threw some folks off. Traffic was definitely snarling on the way in. Or maybe fans went to their high school games instead.

TCU holds a 47-40-7 advantage in the TCU-SMU rivalry that dates back to 1915.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/big-12/texas-christian-university/article103821221.html#storylink=cpy

 

This is why I find attendance discussions sooooooooooooooo fascinating. Here you've got Big XII competition (yeah baby...that P5 juice!) in the Dallat - Fort Worf rivalry (going back to 1915!!!! not 2005...but 1915!)...and there's still no crush at the gates. 

I love this stuff. 

 

Edited November 21, 2016 by WoolyBully

[charsibb]

2 hours ago, BullDoug said:

Started to make this a new topic but figured this was mentioned already.

So I was at the game in Dallas Sat nite.  SMU has a real sweet stadium that holds 36Kish.  All the seats have backs.  It is a really nice U shaped OCS with a brick exterior, video in the breeze ways and some decent food selection and beer. I mean this stadium is nicer and classier than Penn States and Auburns to name a few but just smaller. The campus is beautiful too.  Much nicer than UTX and TAMU.  Id say it rivals ND and Chapel Hill.

SMU had 5-5 record and a chance for a bowl. Best record in awhile for the 'Stangs. Program has history and maybe some tradition.  

Now the kicker...no one for the 'Stangs showed up except the stu section and a large band. I felt bad for SMU.  The EZ was empty and visitor side was 50-50 Bulls to Stang fans for about 6 sections.  And I only paid $44 total for (4) tix on the 50 yline from Stub Hub.   

I dont get it...?  I think there were more fans in Dallas 2 yrs ago in the cold rain for a winless SMU team. It was just cold Sat, bout 48-50 degrees. How does this even happen in a football crazy state of TX.  Is it the T'giving travel weekend?  I mean i35 north was awful going to the game. My son's 6 yr old transition FCS/D1AA school's FB team has a better percentage turn out...I think.

I write all this to say this...So why bother with the OCS in Tampa?!

Maybe their fans only show up for quality P5 opponents...

[WoolyBully]

^-- indeed. A 5-5 TCU P5 team with a rivalry going back over 100 years probably doesn't warrant a trip to the stadium. We can't point the finger to not having an OCS as being the root cause of poor attendance. No, I think the answer to this mystery lies elsewhere....

[namuh-bull]

Come on guys, the people were still too devastated from the election to attend a football game, and besides, the place is named after a republican.  Show a little heart.

Actually, many of the games I've noticed have relatively poor actual attendance these days.  It seems to be a trend that is a bit disturbing to me, a fan of the game.

 

Go Bulls!

[George_Bullnard_Shaw]

On 11/20/2016 at 8:42 AM, NCBull said:

I don't know if I've ever seen an NCAA game with worse attendance.  Except UCF, of course.  #DancingUCFGirl

I love her and want to marry her!

[George_Bullnard_Shaw]

3 hours ago, BullDoug said:

Started to make this a new topic but figured this was mentioned already.

So I was at the game in Dallas Sat nite.  SMU has a real sweet stadium that holds 36Kish.  All the seats have backs.  It is a really nice U shaped OCS with a brick exterior, video in the breeze ways and some decent food selection and beer. I mean this stadium is nicer and classier than Penn States and Auburns to name a few but just smaller. The campus is beautiful too.  Much nicer than UTX and TAMU.  Id say it rivals ND and Chapel Hill.

SMU had 5-5 record and a chance for a bowl. Best record in awhile for the 'Stangs. Program has history and maybe some tradition.  

Now the kicker...no one for the 'Stangs showed up except the stu section and a large band. I felt bad for SMU.  The EZ was empty and visitor side was 50-50 Bulls to Stang fans for about 6 sections.  And I only paid $44 total for (4) tix on the 50 yline from Stub Hub.   

I dont get it...?  I think there were more fans in Dallas 2 yrs ago in the cold rain for a winless SMU team. It was just cold Sat, bout 48-50 degrees. How does this even happen in a football crazy state of TX.  Is it the T'giving travel weekend?  I mean i35 north was awful going to the game. My son's 6 yr old transition FCS/D1AA school's FB team has a better percentage turn out...I think.

I write all this to say this...So why bother with the OCS in Tampa?!

I fully approve all seats having backs!!

[George_Bullnard_Shaw]

25 minutes ago, namuh-bull said:

Come on guys, the people were still too devastated from the election to attend a football game, and besides, the place is named after a republican.  Show a little heart.

Actually, many of the games I've noticed have relatively poor actual attendance these days.  It seems to be a trend that is a bit disturbing to me, a fan of the game.

 

Go Bulls!

I could quote a whole bunch of posts here that are relevant but I think we are clearly in the midst of both a huge demographic change and a major sea change in how the reliable demographics are choosing to experience their entertainment hours. My step-daughter works for Disney and she met Roger Goodell when he visited Disney to get some ideas on how to get fans back from their tvs and into stadiums again.

I've posted before that I went to one game in person and just hated the stadium experience. I can see so much better at home and I'm not surrounded by sloppy falling down drunks.

There may be literally no answers to the attendance issues. As I replied to Brad, except for some really major programs actual attendance is the wide-spread dirty little secret of college football.

[BrownBullsFan]

On 11/20/2016 at 8:14 AM, Bear said:

My thoughts exactly

It's quite simple really.  Announced was tickets sold, actual was people who showed up.  I was at the empty stadium on Saturday, you have to understand that SMU is a private school that doesn't really care about their football team unless they are ranked.  Think UMiami with an OCS.  Football is secondary to the frat parties on a Saturday night.

[Triple B]

1 hour ago, Boomer said:

But of course some of us will point toward the noon start and it being Thanksgiving weekend so they will sleep better at night!

Not sure about sleeping better but those are a couple of reasons why the attendance won't be that good on Saturday .... especially the Thanksgiving part. One positive is that there shouldn't be any youth sports interfering with the non traveling fan families.