Pony Pride

When I think about SMU’s sports team I feel upset that we do not have the same prestige or tradition as some of our rivals do. I realize that we are a smaller school than most, but I don’t think that is an appropriate excuse. I do take into consideration the death penalty that the football program received, but I think a school like SMU has the potential to truly excel on the athletic fields.

How good our teams are is not as big of problem issue as our apparent lack of school spirit for our teams. I attended football games in the fall, and it seemed to me that football games are only an excuse to Boulevard and not actually come together to support our team. The Boulevard receives a much better turn out of the student body than the football game does, and I really hope that changes. I think Boulevarding is great, however I believe it is important that we start to fill Ford Stadium because passion for our school and our teams will only leave SMU a better place. I recently attend a basketball game, and needless to say, the turnout was very much reminiscent of a typical Saturday at Ford Stadium.

I will agree that it is easier to draw people to a sporting event when the teams are very successful, but from an athlete’s perspective fans can often win games for a team due to their intensity and enthusiasm. With the hopeful rise to prominence of our football and basketball teams the future of SMU’s student involvement in athletics look optimistic, and hopefully have positive consequences for school spirit.