A Paradox for Fans

#1
VFL-82-JP

VFL-82-JP

Bleedin' Orange...
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#1
Bear with me, this does have to do with Tennessee football. It just won't be obvious at first.

As kids, for whatever reason, my brother and I decided we needed to pick out favorite pro football teams. Our dad was a huge fan of Vince Lombardi as a coach...so he watched the Packers. Not sure he really cared about the team, but he looked up to the man leading them.

So for whatever odd rationale that runs through the brains of 10-year-old kids, my brother picked the Cowboys. And I picked the Los Angeles Rams. I think Jack Reynolds may have had something to do with it, but not sure (remember him? Hacksaw Reynolds, a Tennessee Vol...and probably the most famous and notorious Los Angeles Ram at the time).

Anyway, I followed both the Vols and the Rams for many years. Decades, in fact. But the Rams never won a championship. Came close once or twice, were often a very good team, but never won it all while I followed them.

Some time in the 1980s, I got married and both my career and home life got super busy. I ran out of time for both college and pro fandom. Tennessee won out, of course, and I stopped following the Rams so close. Would keep up with game results, but not watch the games. You know that deal. Well, over time I stopped looking for the scores, too. It probably didn't help that in 2000 they beat the Titans, which I had started following. I was growing to actually dislike the team I'd picked decades earlier as "my favorite."

To get to the point: as everyone knows, the Rams won the Super Bowl last night. I didn't watch it, just don't care that much. But they did win. My wife and I were laughing about it this morning. And--here's the point--she said, "well, if you stop being a fan of Tennessee, maybe they'll win a championship." I replied, "yeah, in 20 years." She said, "You'll still be alive then." I concluded, "Yes...but I won't care."

And so that's the paradox I wanted to ask you all. I think I know the answer, for most folks anyway, but I could be wrong. Say you have the choice:

(a) You can stop caring about the Tennessee Volunteers, knowing they'll win a championship in a decade or two (but you won't care); or
(b) You can keep caring about the Vols, knowing that means they'll never win a national title again in your lifetime.

Which do you pick?

I mean, both suck. Absolutely suck. This is definitely a Sophie's Choice kind of thing. But is one less bad?

For me, I just can't stop being a fan of the lads in orange. Not even as a "sacrifice" so that the rest of you can get a championship some day. I think it's because it is about more than just winning championships--though striving for championships is vital (for me).

Anyway, I don't think I could stop following Tennessee; it's in my blood. Even if it meant they would never succeed. I just couldn't do it.

You?
 
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#2
#2
I'm too far gone. I've watched a lot of BAD Tennessee football in the last decade. Sent my kids there and they lovingly tell me that I tortured them "making " them Vols. Part of Battered Vol Syndrome is exactly this paradox. They are bad because of "Me". I'll still go and you guys have a scapegoat now. Me. I won't stop going. Most folks I drag to games don't really share the warm fuzzy memories that happen when on campus. It's more about that than the outcome I suppose. Still would be nice to kick some Bama ass in the near future. Is that to much to ask?
 
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#6
#6
I'm in too far. I am an Atlanta Falcons fan (with all the pain that comes with that fandom), but I root for several teams on the side. I don't quite live and die with the Falcons these days, but every Saturday... heck, starting the first game week through the end of the season, every Tennessee game I still get the jitters that come with wanting success for the team and university so badly.

I don't think I could just release it because I never asked for it, it came organically the first time I walked through campus, the first time I saw Neyland from the interstate, the first time I heard thousands and thousands of people singing Rocky Top in unison. I just don't think I could let all that go. Besides, our issues have been mismanagement, not some cosmic force conspiring against UT athletics. I think we have competent leadership in place, now it is just a matter of turning the Titanic around.
 
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#7
#7
tl;dr

But what little I DID read...I pictured OP as
stuart-smalley.gif
 
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#10
#10
Now I know who the real King jinx is. All this time I thought it was my brother.

If you had a choice to leave you would have already left.

What’s worse?

To want to walk away but can’t or not to want to leave even when things aren’t as good as they used to be.

My only hope for the Vols future is that all the fans that stop going to the games will be replaced by loud fans that will keep Neyland hostile. My expectations for the football team will be the same. Give all for the Vols, defend Neyland and win on the road.
 
#15
#15
VFL-82-JP said:
Bear with me, this does have to do with Tennessee football. It just won't be obvious at first.

As kids, for whatever reason, my brother and I decided we needed to pick out favorite pro football teams. Our dad was a huge fan of Vince Lombardi as a coach...so he watched the Packers. Not sure he really cared about the team, but he looked up to the man leading them.

So for whatever odd rationale that runs through the brains of 10-year-old kids, my brother picked the Cowboys. And I picked the Los Angeles Rams. I think Jack Reynolds may have had something to do with it, but not sure (remember him? Hacksaw Reynolds, a Tennessee Vol...and probably the most famous and notorious Los Angeles Ram at the time).

Anyway, I followed both the Vols and the Rams for many years. Decades, in fact. But the Rams never won a championship. Came close once or twice, were often a very good team, but never won it all while I followed them.

Some time in the 1980s, I got married and both my career and home life got super busy. I ran out of time for both college and pro fandom. Tennessee won out, of course, and I stopped following the Rams so close. Would keep up with game results, but not watch the games. You know that deal. Well, over time I stopped looking for the scores, too. It probably didn't help that in 2000 they beat the Titans, which I had started following. I was growing to actually dislike the team I'd picked decades earlier as "my favorite."

To get to the point: as everyone knows, the Rams won the Super Bowl last night. I didn't watch it, just don't care that much. But they did win. My wife and I were laughing about it this morning. And--here's the point--she said, "well, if you stop being a fan of Tennessee, maybe they'll win a championship." I replied, "yeah, in 20 years." She said, "You'll still be alive then." I concluded, "Yes...but I won't care."

And so that's the paradox I wanted to ask you all. I think I know the answer, for most folks anyway, but I could be wrong. Say you have the choice:

(a) You can stop caring about the Tennessee Volunteers, knowing they'll win a championship in a decade or two (but you won't care); or
(b) You can keep caring about the Vols, knowing that means they'll never win a national title again in your lifetime.

Which do you pick?

I mean, both suck. Absolutely suck. This is definitely a Sophie's Choice kind of thing. But is one less bad?

For me, I just can't stop being a fan of the lads in orange. Not even as a "sacrifice" so that the rest of you can get a championship some day. I think it's because it is about more than just winning championships--though striving for championships is vital (for me).

Anyway, I don't think I could stop following Tennessee; it's in my blood. Even if it meant they would never succeed. I just couldn't do it.

You?
Click to expand...

Or as my granddaddy use to ask me when things (BS) like this came up - - "or which had you rather do, or ride a bicycle"??;)
 
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#16
#16
I really believe that our poor (as it relates to athletics) upper university management will continue to put us in a poor position to win. I mean if they would hire Fulmer do you have faith in them to do anything right? It’s been a straight up disaster since Hamilton was AD and that is a LONG damn time for a proud program. We finally fell into a decent coach and AD but now NIL is going to handicap us because apparently no one in our university’s brain trust can figure out how to utilize it effectively. The ineptness will continue to manifest and I highly doubt we win 11 games in a season anytime in the next ten years. I will always be a fan but I’ve been watching this go down for 20 years. Ineptness is more than a short term trend in the way our football program is managed. I know we improved last year and that is great but we are where we are in relation to the powers that reside in our backyard. It is not a great place to be. Hope I’m wrong.
 
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#19
#19
I have thrown away TN gear because the team lost too many games while I was wearing that particular shirt. I will always be a TN Volunteer. If I had to pick only one sport and only one team to watch for the rest of my life I would pick the Vol football knowing they may only be mediocre because of the mismanagement from school administration, but they are always "My" team.


GBO!
 
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#20
#20
VFL-82-JP said:
Bear with me, this does have to do with Tennessee football. It just won't be obvious at first.

As kids, for whatever reason, my brother and I decided we needed to pick out favorite pro football teams. Our dad was a huge fan of Vince Lombardi as a coach...so he watched the Packers. Not sure he really cared about the team, but he looked up to the man leading them.

So for whatever odd rationale that runs through the brains of 10-year-old kids, my brother picked the Cowboys. And I picked the Los Angeles Rams. I think Jack Reynolds may have had something to do with it, but not sure (remember him? Hacksaw Reynolds, a Tennessee Vol...and probably the most famous and notorious Los Angeles Ram at the time).

Anyway, I followed both the Vols and the Rams for many years. Decades, in fact. But the Rams never won a championship. Came close once or twice, were often a very good team, but never won it all while I followed them.

Some time in the 1980s, I got married and both my career and home life got super busy. I ran out of time for both college and pro fandom. Tennessee won out, of course, and I stopped following the Rams so close. Would keep up with game results, but not watch the games. You know that deal. Well, over time I stopped looking for the scores, too. It probably didn't help that in 2000 they beat the Titans, which I had started following. I was growing to actually dislike the team I'd picked decades earlier as "my favorite."

To get to the point: as everyone knows, the Rams won the Super Bowl last night. I didn't watch it, just don't care that much. But they did win. My wife and I were laughing about it this morning. And--here's the point--she said, "well, if you stop being a fan of Tennessee, maybe they'll win a championship." I replied, "yeah, in 20 years." She said, "You'll still be alive then." I concluded, "Yes...but I won't care."

And so that's the paradox I wanted to ask you all. I think I know the answer, for most folks anyway, but I could be wrong. Say you have the choice:

(a) You can stop caring about the Tennessee Volunteers, knowing they'll win a championship in a decade or two (but you won't care); or
(b) You can keep caring about the Vols, knowing that means they'll never win a national title again in your lifetime.

Which do you pick?

I mean, both suck. Absolutely suck. This is definitely a Sophie's Choice kind of thing. But is one less bad?

For me, I just can't stop being a fan of the lads in orange. Not even as a "sacrifice" so that the rest of you can get a championship some day. I think it's because it is about more than just winning championships--though striving for championships is vital (for me).

Anyway, I don't think I could stop following Tennessee; it's in my blood. Even if it meant they would never succeed. I just couldn't do it.

You?
Click to expand...


You make the false presumption that there is a limited range of outcomes. The REAL truth is that there is at minimum a range from ultimate failure to euphoria and just like any relationship you have to run a risk/reward analysis and either sign on or walk away. To claim a real relationship exists but demanding escape clauses is pretty weak. Lots of kids lives would have been better off if "till death do us part" was more of a factor in establishing relationships before their birth. Same for entering a fan/program relationship.

I don't think true FANDOM is optional at all. Too many folks have confused sports consumerism with fandom, and then look for justification to walk away when they don't like the value proposition after painting themselves into a corner with 151 paint or other colors. Can't deal with the honest assessment they overplayed their fan hand so they offer analysis and/or advice on how to improve their teams lot. Many are pretty easy to spot, they see no application of the suck it up and deal with the painful realities option, and are void of discretion. They also tip their hand with the frequency of their expressions of love. Very few will ever admit they lied to themselves and everybody else about the existence of a true fan relationship. Sometimes they get lucky and change allegiances, like when some traded their NCAA Orange for NFL blue with the Titans. Good for everybody involved if they learned from their college experience. That was sellable, changing college teams after opening your pie hole not so much. You can only have one number one sports priority. Pick wisely.
 
#21
#21
VFL-82-JP said:
Bear with me, this does have to do with Tennessee football. It just won't be obvious at first.

As kids, for whatever reason, my brother and I decided we needed to pick out favorite pro football teams. Our dad was a huge fan of Vince Lombardi as a coach...so he watched the Packers. Not sure he really cared about the team, but he looked up to the man leading them.

So for whatever odd rationale that runs through the brains of 10-year-old kids, my brother picked the Cowboys. And I picked the Los Angeles Rams. I think Jack Reynolds may have had something to do with it, but not sure (remember him? Hacksaw Reynolds, a Tennessee Vol...and probably the most famous and notorious Los Angeles Ram at the time).

Anyway, I followed both the Vols and the Rams for many years. Decades, in fact. But the Rams never won a championship. Came close once or twice, were often a very good team, but never won it all while I followed them.

Some time in the 1980s, I got married and both my career and home life got super busy. I ran out of time for both college and pro fandom. Tennessee won out, of course, and I stopped following the Rams so close. Would keep up with game results, but not watch the games. You know that deal. Well, over time I stopped looking for the scores, too. It probably didn't help that in 2000 they beat the Titans, which I had started following. I was growing to actually dislike the team I'd picked decades earlier as "my favorite."

To get to the point: as everyone knows, the Rams won the Super Bowl last night. I didn't watch it, just don't care that much. But they did win. My wife and I were laughing about it this morning. And--here's the point--she said, "well, if you stop being a fan of Tennessee, maybe they'll win a championship." I replied, "yeah, in 20 years." She said, "You'll still be alive then." I concluded, "Yes...but I won't care."

And so that's the paradox I wanted to ask you all. I think I know the answer, for most folks anyway, but I could be wrong. Say you have the choice:

(a) You can stop caring about the Tennessee Volunteers, knowing they'll win a championship in a decade or two (but you won't care); or
(b) You can keep caring about the Vols, knowing that means they'll never win a national title again in your lifetime.

Which do you pick?

I mean, both suck. Absolutely suck. This is definitely a Sophie's Choice kind of thing. But is one less bad?

For me, I just can't stop being a fan of the lads in orange. Not even as a "sacrifice" so that the rest of you can get a championship some day. I think it's because it is about more than just winning championships--though striving for championships is vital (for me).

Anyway, I don't think I could stop following Tennessee; it's in my blood. Even if it meant they would never succeed. I just couldn't do it.

You?
Click to expand...

Divorce your wife and quit your job. Now you got time for Tennessee Football.
 
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#22
#22
I'll always be a fan. I'll continue to follow them, win or lose, because it's what I've always done. My fanhood has nothing to do with success/failure of the program.

Now granted, it's not nearly as important as it used to be. When I was young, a loss on Saturday meant a bad day/weekend. Maybe I've matured, or maybe I'm just that used to losing, different priorities now, combination of all of those. But I can't imagine a scenario where I stop being a fan and follow Tennessee football.

If we never win another National Championship, or SEC title, or never beat Alabama again in my lifetime...I'm a VFL. I can at least say that I've got 1998.
 
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#23
#23
I'm Vol addicted. All efforts to wean me off that orange hued drug has failed. Non-Vols substitutes, Packer Pandemic, Anti-Vol Cult deprogramming, and even spiteful personal attacks by some VN'ers. Nothing has worked. I'm hopelessly and utterly incurably Vol addicted.
 
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#24
#24
VFL-82-JP said:
Bear with me, this does have to do with Tennessee football. It just won't be obvious at first.

As kids, for whatever reason, my brother and I decided we needed to pick out favorite pro football teams. Our dad was a huge fan of Vince Lombardi as a coach...so he watched the Packers. Not sure he really cared about the team, but he looked up to the man leading them.

So for whatever odd rationale that runs through the brains of 10-year-old kids, my brother picked the Cowboys. And I picked the Los Angeles Rams. I think Jack Reynolds may have had something to do with it, but not sure (remember him? Hacksaw Reynolds, a Tennessee Vol...and probably the most famous and notorious Los Angeles Ram at the time).

Anyway, I followed both the Vols and the Rams for many years. Decades, in fact. But the Rams never won a championship. Came close once or twice, were often a very good team, but never won it all while I followed them.

Some time in the 1980s, I got married and both my career and home life got super busy. I ran out of time for both college and pro fandom. Tennessee won out, of course, and I stopped following the Rams so close. Would keep up with game results, but not watch the games. You know that deal. Well, over time I stopped looking for the scores, too. It probably didn't help that in 2000 they beat the Titans, which I had started following. I was growing to actually dislike the team I'd picked decades earlier as "my favorite."

To get to the point: as everyone knows, the Rams won the Super Bowl last night. I didn't watch it, just don't care that much. But they did win. My wife and I were laughing about it this morning. And--here's the point--she said, "well, if you stop being a fan of Tennessee, maybe they'll win a championship." I replied, "yeah, in 20 years." She said, "You'll still be alive then." I concluded, "Yes...but I won't care."

And so that's the paradox I wanted to ask you all. I think I know the answer, for most folks anyway, but I could be wrong. Say you have the choice:

(a) You can stop caring about the Tennessee Volunteers, knowing they'll win a championship in a decade or two (but you won't care); or
(b) You can keep caring about the Vols, knowing that means they'll never win a national title again in your lifetime.

Which do you pick?

I mean, both suck. Absolutely suck. This is definitely a Sophie's Choice kind of thing. But is one less bad?

For me, I just can't stop being a fan of the lads in orange. Not even as a "sacrifice" so that the rest of you can get a championship some day. I think it's because it is about more than just winning championships--though striving for championships is vital (for me).

Anyway, I don't think I could stop following Tennessee; it's in my blood. Even if it meant they would never succeed. I just couldn't do it.

You?
Click to expand...
Never! I’m from Tennessee and bleed Orange!
 
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