This past weekend, we published an article spotlighting SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert’s offensive stats in a loss to Texas Tech Aug. 30.
We acknowledged that the Mustangs lost, but should have won. We also admitted that as good as Gilbert was, he should have converted a couple of trips into the redzone into touchdowns.
We were, in my opinion, critical but fair in our analysis of the football game and the players that impacted the outcome.
However, shortly after the Gilbert article was online, I was told I had bought into the hype – that I was victim to silk purse syndrome.
I received this feedback in a brief Twitter exchange by the self proclaimed “most enthusiastic mustang fan who never went to school [here].”
He went on to say, SMU football is boring. He sees the same thing week after week. There’s no excitement. There’s no passion, no creativity and the play is uninspiring.
This, from the most enthusiastic fan of SMU.
Haters and dramatic over-reactions are commonplace on social media. This isn’t news. No one is proclaiming him SMU’s biggest fan – especially not after those comments.
However, if this is someone who “supports” SMU athletics to the extent he claims, then the source of athletic apathy on campus has been found.
In fact, we should have never been confused. The ailment that plagues SMU’s school spirit is not unique to the hilltop. The SMU fan base, like any sports organization, is made up of fair weather fans. All it takes is one play. One mistake. One interception and the faithful turn.
No one is to blame for this “what have you done for me lately” attitude. And there isn’t much that can be done, aside from giving the undeserving what they ask for, and that is wins.
No matter how much students wanted beer in Ford, it wouldn’t have made that big of a difference in attendance nor would it have kept fans in their seats in the fourth quarter when Tech poured on 21 points for good measure.
Hopefully, there are not as many SMU fans like the one I met on Twitter as I fear there may be.
Regardless, he provides us with the solution to filling the stadium and packing the
arena: wins.
Wins will fill Ford, Moody and Westcott. Not wins in Conference USA. Probably not even wins in the American Athletic Conference. It will take NCAA tournament type wins.
It is a tall order to turn a fan base around. Especially when it takes a solid fan base to win big games.
If SMU plays without passion, maybe it’s because they look up and see empty seats. If they lack creativity, it’s because no one is watching. If they are uninspiring, it’s because no one is listening.
