As a Freshman, coming to a university with a great reputation for academics and networking, I wondered what could ever be an issue with the school. Then football season started.
Coming from a family with season tickets to USC football games, I had high expectations. USC exudes tradition and confidence within both the team and the students. At any point during the game, one could look to the student section to see everyone simultaneously chanting the same cheers that have been proclaimed for decades. That kind of unity brings a school together and provides school spirit. However, at SMU it is rare to see anyone starting a cheer other then “Ole ole ole ole.” Students leave the game at halftime, if they come to the game at all. To be honest, it’s kind of pathetic. Where’s the school spirit?
After leaving the homecoming game, my friend and I were approached to fill out a survey for the school about football games. It asked us to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 how much the options would make us attend games and stay (1 being not at all and 5 being definitely). Some of the options included raffles, better food, better music, shirt cannons, etc. It almost seemed like the school was trying to bribe us to come to football games. However, I think one thing would work above all others. Winning some games! I know that it isn’t as easy as it sounds. But once that happens I feel like students will have pride in our school and our team, rather than having to make fun of ourselves.
Another factor I feel like doesn’t help our football spirit is “boulevarding.” Every school I have been to that has a decent team, has tailgating. Not just getting drunk tailgating, but legitimate tailgates. Ones in a parking lot, with a truck, where you can have your own space to hang out with friends. Boulevarding is too uptight. Fraternities and sororities stand at their booths while alumni have their “reserved” spaces. What is there to do for the rest of the student body? They are forced to wander around with nothing to do. Maybe if SMU had a parking lot it would be a little bit more fun.
What do you think would help out our school spirit?
4 comments:
I agree completely with your post. I also come from a huge USC football family and have been attending the games since I was a little kid. I think the best way to increase our school spirit (which i believe is largely driven by our football program) is to win some games. It has been my experience that when a school has a good football program along with good academics, that school is one that is very desirable. Which, in turn makes the school better. I also believe that in order to win football games, the student body needs to start showing an interest in the program and coming to the games. Recruits that come visit the school and watch the games wouldn't be too impressed with the turnout of SMU students at the games this year.
Agreed. My family are huge LSU football fans, and I grew up around LSU football--and it's QUITE a different story than SMU. Tailgating at LSU is huge, and everyone really gets into it. Sure, some people will say that SMU fans and students really get into the game--not so much. Showing up to the Boulevard two hours before kickoff isn't really "getting into it" to me. Where I come from, fans arrive on the campus as early as Thursday night. They come in RV's, trucks, cars--whatever. And it's an on-going party until gameday. Everyone gets so pumped for the football games because there is such a buildup.
Now I'm not saying that LSU or USC is better than SMU. But I do know that these two particular universities have way more school spirit. I think SMU has loads of potential to be a really fun, spirited college. But I think until we have a decent football team, what's the point in even tailgating to watch your team lose?
I come from a Big 12 family, Texas to be exact. College football has been a priority in my family ever since I can remember. I love SMU, hence why I came here, and the only problem I have is a football team that makes me cringe when I see its statics. I believe that football can really bring people together, and I know that June Jones has promised us a bowl game in three years and it takes awhile to rebuild a team, but I want at least a decent season. Hopefully, he will prove true and takes to a bowl. I also hope next year's season will be loads better than this years.
I understand what Thyrston for Answers is taking about in this blog. My high school was known to have extreme school spirit. Everyone went to every sporting event, and traveled with the team. But of course, my high school was dominant in all sports so it was fun to go the games because we would win most of the time. That is the only down side of SMU. We have the most amazing school anyone could ever ask for, but unfortunately, our football team isn't where it used to be many years back. I think this will change soon!! I am such a school spirit type of person that when i heard that Jim Jones was going to couch our football team, what pretty much made my year. Now I know that we didn't have the best year....but this year was a rebuilding year. I have played sports my entire life, and I have had many rebuilding year, but it is all worth it in the end! It is going to take this school a couple years and a couple recruiting season to get this school back to the way it was, but it will which is the good thing! I think that once our football team starts to win more often, the study body will stay at the games more and will start to go to the other sporting events as well!
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