At the start of basketball season, I hope for just one time to see Moody Coliseum sold out. I don’t care if it’s for a men’s or women’s game, just to see a sea of red and blue SMU clothing rather than the irritating glow-in-the-dark sticks Memphis fans plagued Moody with, or the annoying chants coming from the UTEP fans.

Then again, I guess having unruly visiting fans is better than no fans at all. After all, who doesn’t love having a three-year old child screaming in their ear every time the home team goes to shoot a free throw?

After covering the women’s and some of the men’s basketball teams for the newspaper for two years now, I’ve finally come to a conclusion as to why fans neglect to show up for home games. The halftime entertainment sucks.

Another thing I’ve come to notice is the lack of diversity during timeouts. Yes, everyone just loves the pig race. Blue wins every time. We get it. Next. The Dance Cam is another activity that everyone just screams for. Great, little kids dancing on the Jumbotron. Look Mom! Take a picture.

I realize the cameramen run out of students to showcase seeing as no one bothers to show up anymore, but maybe if we had some legitimate entertainment at halftime students would at least make an appearance. Think about it, how many non football fans tune into the Superbowl for the commercials and halftime show?

I know I’m not alone in silencing my opinion when a handful of old women stagger onto the court, courtesy of walkers, only to strip down to semi-revealing, and totally nauseating, outfits in a pathetic attempt to mimic the SMU pom squad. Nowhere in the darkest corner of my mind does seeing my grandmother in a glittery, skin tight, short shorts jump suit seem in any way appealing. It’s no wonder concession stands sell out of food at half time. Parents are either shielding their kids’ eyes form such a scarring performance, while everyone else distracts themselves on their Blackberrys, or simply leave.

Back to seeing Grandma and Grandpa in a pair of hot pants, what’s with the old men and women scrimmaging at half time? Even when the Mustangs are winning, seeing these guys attempt to make a basket puts even the most avid fan to sleep. Way to get fans motivated for the second half!

For example, when the Knuckleheads performed last year, students went crazy. Sure, some drunk idiot tried to run out on stage, but it go students cheering, and most even hung around till the end of the game. When was the last time this happened?

I realize that SMU wants to get as many people into Moody Coliseum as possible, but hosting pre-school performances is also not helping get the students into the stands. What college kid wants to go to a basketball game and have to watch toddlers stand on colored dots while flapping their arms to the latest Sesame Street singalong? Sure, it’s a great form of birth control, but last I checked men were more into beer and chicks than confused and crying babies. No offense to the marketing department, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to get some more age-appropriate entertainment for halftime.

– Nicole Jacobsen

Editor in Chief