Boulevarding is an SMU tradition started by President Turner. (Sidney Hollingsworth/The Daily Campus)

Boulevarding at SMU: Is the pregame bigger than the game? Or is the pregame the game itself? There’s little denying the fact that boulevarding is an event of its own, but has it become more of an event than the actual football game? If so, to what extent, and why? Will the Mustangs’ move to the Big East play a role in the equation?

According to a survey comprised of randomly selected SMU students on the boulevard this past Saturday, 12 out of 38 intended to go to the game that evening. That is 31.6 percent, less than one-third of boulevard-goers planned to attend the first home game of the season. Shocking? To freshman and first-years, absolutely.

When asked how he will be spending his first game as an SMU student, freshman pre-business major Seth Jorde responded, “I’m about 50-50 on going, depending on how many other people are.” When asked whether he was surprised to discover the number of students not going to the game, Jorde replied, “Yeah, I definitely expected SMU to have a little more school spirit. But that’s OK. I still love this place.”

So what makes boulevarding more popular than the game? Why is Bishop Boulevard packed with more people than Ford Stadium? Is it merely the social aspect of seeing and being seen, dressed in our boulevard best, versus spectating a game, that makes it the more appealing activity? Is it the fact that games are on Saturdays, when students are free of class and just want to go out and have a good time with friends? Or, perhaps some students simply aren’t all that interested in sports?

Sophomore psychology major Kelly Neupert admitted that while she may not be the biggest sports fan, she, like any other kid in college, is certainly a fan of her weekends. So what’s on this girl’s post-boulevard agenda?

“Game time equals nap time. Always.” Neupert explained, “You need that game time in order to be able to make it out later that night.”

Miguel Medina, a student athletic trainer for the football team and senior majoring in sports management, agreed that socializing is a major component of what attracts students, but argued that there is more to it.

“It’s all about the experience”, Medina asserted. “Currently, the experience we have at Ford Stadium is not one that rivals other universities. Boulevarding, however, is and does exactly that. The basic difference between the boulevard and the game is that boulevarding is a tradition unique to only our school, whereas the game is an event one can experience at many other places. Other schools have football games, but nobody else has boulevards.”

So it’s official: the pregame is the game, and not by just a yard. The good news? With our team’s step up to Big East conference, 60 percent of boulevarders anticipated a greater turn out at future football games.

Finance major and junior Reid Berry agreed with this majority and added that, “As of now, because we are still in Conference USA, people aren’t as thrilled about the games, but next year when we are actually in the Big East there will definitely be more interest in seeing the games.”

Supporting Berry’s prediction, Medina concluded, “We are excited at the opportunity to compete at a higher level, against more reputable schools that recruit better athletes. People will go to the games because they want that memorable experience which this will enable. SMU is doing a terrific job with all of the advertising and I’m hopeful that this progression will make a difference.”