Nobody is interested in joining a community of strangers to play a game they've never (or barely) played before. That almost never happens. I came into the community that way, just because I was bored with Halo and watched a bunch of Smash vids on VOD and thought it looked fun, but I am pretty sure 99% of the time that is not why people get interested.
People don't want to put in that kind of effort for strangers. But if their friends introduce them to competitive Smash, show them the ropes, and gently introduce them to the tournament scene without making them feel like complete garbage (i.e., don't 4-stock them every match just because you can--it's incredibly discouraging), then they may actually be willing to put in the effort to become good at the game and bolster the community.
So surely you all have gamer friends who don't play Smash. Those are the people you need to be talking to, not random kids from the anime club (unless you're in said anime club, and said kids respect you and like you enough to give the game a chance). A lot of people, believe it or not, are interested in making friends, and I think if you can show them that Smashers make awesome friends, then they won't care so much if they are garbage for a while, especially if you are willing to teach them things.
Nobody taught me anything or tried to get me into Smash, and I can't really explain why I was interested to begin with, but I CAN say if I had had Smash friends before I started playing in December 2006, who had taught me the advanced techs and showed me what a fun game it was, I would have started playing long before. And I am sure there are others like me who would love to learn a fun new game and make a bunch of new friends if people cared enough to show them.
The point is that I think some of you are thinking about this in the wrong way, thinking that you can get people interested in a video game based on the merits of the game alone and how competitive it is. For people who aren't already into competitive fighting games, this approach actually sounds really intimidating and is almost certainly not going to pique their interest. To get people interested you really need to befriend them first, then get them interested in competitive Smash. And no, you don't need to be best friends with them obviously, but I'm sure many of you have many casual friends already who are into video games--invite them to a Smashfest, emphasize the FUN aspect, not the competitive aspect, and don't exclude them once they are there. Take the time to show them things, offer encouraging feedback, etc. The reality is that being complete garbage at a game is really discouraging in an overly competitive environment, but if the people there are friendly enough then kids will want to spend the effort to get better, just to hang out with those people.
Also, I might be going to graduate school in or near Georgia next year , so I hope your community isn't dead by then if I do end up there.
