Mean Green Kids Club

fan19740 · October 21, 2007

Wow! This is such a great thread. There is nothing like talking X and Os with Mean Green fans. I seriously hope you don't lose any sleep over this topic.

ADLER · October 21, 2007

Wow! This is such a great thread. There is nothing like talking X and Os with Mean Green fans. I seriously hope you don't lose any sleep over this topic.

OK, I'll take this one.

fan19740, please show me which of your threads was about earth shaking revelations that kept you up at night.

Miraculous Insight

This board is for exactly this type of discussion; topic on which the fans have opinions. We're not going to cure cancer here, and we can't alter the outcome of games through discussions of X's and O's, but we can certainly discuss them if they are relevant to UNT football.

SLCoutsider · October 21, 2007

As an outsider and a parent, here's my take. I think it's reasonable to require anyone participating in an on-field pep/spirit activity to be dressed appropriately. This includes Junior Mean Green Club members, their parents, and anyone else participating in the inflatable tunnel line after half-time. Under no circumstances should other school's apparel be allowed. If that means that some parent has to say "I'm sorry little Johnny, we can't go on the field at half-time because you/mommy/daddy aren't dressed appropriately", then that is fine. Deal with it and dress appropriately for the next game.

Sure, this program has more important issues that we can discuss on this board. But I think this is something that should be addressed. It sends the wrong message to the team, the fans, and the outside world when your own kids club and their parents don't take the program seriously enough to leave the UT hats at home.

UNTLifer · October 21, 2007

The kids that go down on the field are:
A) Required to be dues paying members of the Junior Mean Green Club
Required to be accompanied by their parent
C) Required to be wearing either their Junior Mean Green Club shirt or be wearing UNT spirit gear and have a club stamp on their hand.
"My parents don't care where I am" is not a valid reason for other kids to be on the field.
Wow, issue solved.

If the kid's can't wear what they are supposed to wear, then they shouldn't be allowed on the field. If the above are the rules, then who is there enforcing them? Why are their kids/people on the field that aren't supposed to be?

Edited October 22, 2007 by UNTLifer

chrisfisher · October 22, 2007

If these type postings continue, I may earn my first official thread closure. I' The initial posts suggested that I was out in left field on this one. I'm glad to see that some are as perturbed as me. I don't understand why it is so hard or taboo to enact and/or enforce rules, especially for kids, these days. We are so worried that they will be offended or somehow psychological damaged in some way by rules. Asking kids to wear the appropriate attire to an official Mean Green/UNT event, or to enforce existing Mean Green Club rules (i.e. not allowing kids to sneak onto the field), is not asking too much in my opinion.

MeanGreenSig · October 22, 2007

My kids have been members for many years and the rules is, as I understand it, that you must wear your meangreen jr club shirt from the current year. So, if you dont have the shirt you do not participate in the halftime festivities end of story. Why have a rule or a club and not enforce the rule, either enforce the rule or let everyone down there or nobody down there, there is usually a good reason for a rule, and if there is not a good reason get rid of the rule.

Quoner · October 22, 2007

My kids have been members for many years and the rules is, as I understand it, that you must wear your meangreen jr club shirt from the current year. So, if you dont have the shirt you do not participate in the halftime festivities end of story. Why have a rule or a club and not enforce the rule, either enforce the rule or let everyone down there or nobody down there, there is usually a good reason for a rule, and if there is not a good reason get rid of the rule.

One person - and intern - controls that line and gts them all on the field.

If you care so much about this, call the AD and volunteer to help control the crowd the way a few parents do. Otherwise, let's just sit back and let this thread become the most popular on the board because it gives everyone an excuse to not discuss football.

SLCoutsider · October 22, 2007

One person - and intern - controls that line and gts them all on the field.
If you care so much about this, call the AD and volunteer to help control the crowd the way a few parents do. Otherwise, let's just sit back and let this thread become the most popular on the board because it gives everyone an excuse to not discuss football.

What's the problem with venting some frustration? That's what 90% of the "football" discussions amount to.

MeanGreenSig · October 22, 2007

One person - and intern - controls that line and gts them all on the field.
If you care so much about this, call the AD and volunteer to help control the crowd the way a few parents do. Otherwise, let's just sit back and let this thread become the most popular on the board because it gives everyone an excuse to not discuss football.

Thank you for summing up the attitude that needs to change

I buy season tickets, donate to the meangreen club and meangreen jr club so I do not have to do the work of the athletic dept.!!!!!!!!!

If the interns cannot enforce a simple rule , fire them and hire someone who can.

We must stop accepting mediocrity!

Quoner · October 22, 2007

Thank you for summing up the attitude that needs to change
I buy season tickets, donate to the meangreen club and meangreen jr club so I do not have to do the work of the athletic dept.!!!!!!!!!
If the interns cannot enforce a simple rule , fire them and hire someone who can.
We must stop accepting mediocrity!

First, congratulations on supporting the program so much - that's awesome and it is great you can do that. I still think a call for volunteers or help is a decent request to make.

However, your issue is still staffing - if you can corral 150+ kids onto a field together and have time to walk down the back of the line and check shirts, while making sure this all goes off a hitch because the team gets penalized because they are not off in time, you go for it. There is a reason most schools only allow access to either no kids or a small amount of rich donors kids.

You can talk all you want about acting small time and what not, but would you rather pull our limited resources into hiring more people to work that line or accomplishing the 4,000 other things to do to make us"big-time?"

If a kid in a Texas shirt has fun at a North Texas game, it is not the end of the world, regardless of what you think.

FirefightnRick · October 22, 2007

I've mostly noticed CSC security staff members and AD dept staff folks in charge of this so far this season. To me if we can rudely run off donors from a scrimmage practice we can certainly afford to enforce a requirement to participate in the halftime line? Maybe we need that same guy, the travel agent/image consultant, to walk up and down the line underneith the stands checking for shirts and stamps?

He could give the same speech he told season ticket holders, donors and fans back in August:

..."I don't care who you are or who they are, I don't care what the athletic department said, I don't care what was on the athletic department website or what was in the papers, I have nothing to do with the athletic department or what they supposedely told the public online or in the papers, this spirit line is closed to non MeanGreenClub members, because Todd Dodge said so!".

Rick

Eagle1855 · October 22, 2007

I didnt realize there was a rule in place. If so, it should be enforced.

UNTLifer · October 22, 2007

First, congratulations on supporting the program so much - that's awesome and it is great you can do that. I still think a call for volunteers or help is a decent request to make.
However, your issue is still staffing - if you can corral 150+ kids onto a field together and have time to walk down the back of the line and check shirts, while making sure this all goes off a hitch because the team gets penalized because they are not off in time, you go for it. There is a reason most schools only allow access to either no kids or a small amount of rich donors kids.
You can talk all you want about acting small time and what not, but would you rather pull our limited resources into hiring more people to work that line or accomplishing the 4,000 other things to do to make us"big-time?"
If a kid in a Texas shirt has fun at a North Texas game, it is not the end of the world, regardless of what you think.

It's not that difficult to have someone stand at the gate where the kids and parents enter the field and check to make sure they are Jr. Mean Green Club members and adhering to the rules. They have staff that keep 20,000 fans from going down on the field during the game, they can ask one of those at halftime to monitor the Jr. MG Club unless they are too busy busting folks for contraband tortillas.

If a kid in a Texas shirt has fun at a North Texas game, it is not the end of the world, regardless of what you think.

No, it's not. But, if the kid is waving the "hook'em" sign at our players then he should be shown the door. You think this would be tolerated at TT, A&M, OU, or any other major college program? You think Michigan would let a kid line up to welcome their players back on the field in an Ohio State jersey? If they can't monitor who enters the field, then they should open up the Jr. MG Club to everyone for free. Parents have paid for their kids to go down there, and kids should get to sneak out there without paying much less in another schools clothing.

Edited October 23, 2007 by UNTLifer

MeanGreenSig · October 22, 2007

However, your issue is still staffing - if you can corral 150+ kids onto a field together and have time to walk down the back of the line and check shirts, while making sure this all goes off a hitch because the team gets penalized because they are not off in time, you go for it. There is a reason most schools only allow access to either no kids or a small amount of rich donors kids.
You can talk all you want about acting small time and what not, but would you rather pull our limited resources into hiring more people to work that line or accomplishing the 4,000 other things to do to make us"big-time?"

Where do I say hire more people???????????????????????????????????????????????????

I said fire the incompetent ones and hire people that get the job done.

I have been a member of this board and its predecessors a long time and I do not post very often because of know it alls like you, i dont know if you are still a student or are an alum but I'm willing to bet you have not been in the real world very long if at all. Have you ever participated in the halftime event with your kids? that is waht I thought.

Why would anyone attack any fellow supporter of the school for suppporting the school i will never understand.(the sarcastic way to go comment is what i am reffering to)

Quoner · October 22, 2007

Where do I say hire more people???????????????????????????????????????????????????
I said fire the incompetent ones and hire people that get the job done.
I have been a member of this board and its predecessors a long time and I do not post very often because of know it alls like you, i dont know if you are still a student or are an alum but I'm willing to bet you have not been in the real world very long if at all. Have you ever participated in the halftime event with your kids? that is waht I thought.
Why would anyone attack any fellow supporter of the school for suppporting the school i will never understand.(the sarcastic way to go comment is what i am reffering to)

I didn't mean to attack you at all - in fact I won't ever attack you on this topic. All I suggested is make an offer to help or a complaint to the collective group and you decided that you were singled out and have taken something personally I didn't mean. The "way to go" comment was not meant sarcastically and I reread and saw it completely came out that way - especially coming from me. My apologies.

I actually have been in the real world for awhile. I don't have kids yet but I am sure once I take a kid onto the field I will be much more equipped to discuss that the AD is short-staffed - especially because some AD folks see the gameday experience as an exercise in delegation. I'm not calling out names here, but I think I'm generally more critical of the AD that some of the posters here. The only time I stick up for them is when someone doesn't know how a process works. The failure is not on some spare intern or one of the facilities guys; it is a failure to expect a person to manage getting everyone on and off the field while also checking clothes and turning people away. A 1-2 minutes conversation barring someone will make the entire process run off of the game script and could get the team penalized.

I agree with Eagle1855 - the rule should be enforced, but it requires someone else. The AD has shown they don't have the resources for whatever reason to do that, so why not have the fans get involved? That is all I am suggesting. When something like this fails, Rick needs to know. Leading with an offer to help is probably the best way to reach out to someone who loves positive or constructive feedback. This isn't a stadium or coach hiring issue - this is something the fans can legitmately and should want changed. I find it funny that this is what everyone decided to focus on after the game, but hey, if it gets fixed, we are all winners.

Except Texas Douche (not you LongJim.)