Neyland Effect

#1
Rocky Top T

Rocky Top T

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#1
A 3 pt win over a terrible Arkansas team kept us from being winless at home in conference play
I don't blame the crowd for poor coaching or bad play at all. I do know from being there and hearing from many others who attend games that Neyland is not the same. I know DW likes to brag about sellouts, but what matters is butts in the seats. Every game I attend I see several empty seats,at conference games too.. I watched a few games this weekend that the atmosphere was Much better than Neyland.
 
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#3
#3
Rocky Top T said:
A 3 pt win over a terrible Arkansas team kept us from being winless at home in conference play
I don't blame the crowd for poor coaching or bad play at all. I do know from being there and hearing from many others who attend games that Neyland is not the same. I know DW likes to brag about sellouts, but what matters is butts in the seats. Every game I attend I see several empty seats,at conference games too.. I watched a few games this weekend that the atmosphere was Much better than Neyland.
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There were numerous empty seats yesterday and I thought the crowd was pretty lame too.
It reminded me of an 11:30 Jefferson Pilot crowd back in the old days when it was quiet enough to hear the airplanes flying their advertising banners
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#5
#5
Gameday in Neyland is a corporate storefront now. Nothing organic, everything calculated and commercial. Screw the Pride of the Southland, give us more Joker and the Thief! More Mo Bamba! More talent fees! More manufactured “traditions” they can use in marketing materials! More more more.

That’s what happens when you put people in charge who have no real affiliation to a region or its people, whose only goal is to extract maximum value from those people. They’re consummate salespeople who at the end of the day are just here to do that job. Doesn’t even make them villains, either. Just means they were hired and brought in to do that job and nothing - not tradition, not history, not the college experience - is gonna get in their way.
 
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#8
#8
I dont always agree with you OP, but ill take it even a step further. Living in Florida I really only attend the bowl games and this year attended Atlanta. Orange Bowl, Mercedes Benz, Citrus Bowl, and MBB Sweet 16 vs Duke I noticed both were ALL full of white cuetips who never got above a golf clap. My girl (who is now an adopted Vols fan) has commented EVERY time that Im the loudest one in the section and during the orange bowl people actually moved seats. Im not a "Pavia brother" obnoxious fan, but I will clap after most plays, call players by name at times, yell for the defense on 3rd downs.

Most sit there like we're at a movie theater. Granted, because I go to so few games now AND the fact my girl is not a rabid sports fan ill usually splurge for box seats or club section, so maybe its just the clientele. But growing up going to Neyland every Saturday during the late 80s and all through the 90s to early 00's as a student its definitely not the same rabid fan base that ATTENDS the game. I agree, true-die-hard fans have been priced out.
 
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#10
#10
MemphisVolFan1978 said:
It’s hard to blame the fans when it becomes apparent to them that they care more about the team and the games than the players and coaches. The fans are the ones spending their money and time to go watch their favorite team struggle against lesser opponents. The players and coaches are getting paid either way.
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Exactly 💯. Also DW and the team care more about checkered Neyland and dark mode and crap like that. These players get paid regardless and don't care as much. Coaches get rich regardless. Fans get the shaft!
 
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#11
#11
NATHAN05 said:
I dont always agree with you OP, but ill take it even a step further. Living in Florida I really only attend the bowl games and this year attended Atlanta. Orange Bowl, Mercedes Benz, Citrus Bowl, and MBB Sweet 16 vs Duke I noticed both were ALL full of white cuetips who never got above a golf clap. My girl (who is now an adopted Vols fan) has commented EVERY time that Im the loudest one in the section and during the orange bowl people actually moved seats. Im not a "Pavia brother" obnoxious fan, but I will clap after most plays, call players by name at times, yell for the defense on 3rd downs.

Most sit there like we're at a movie theater. Granted, because I go to so few games now AND the fact my girl is not a rabid sports fan ill usually splurge for box seats or club section, so maybe its just the clientele. But growing up going to Neyland every Saturday during the late 80s and all through the 90s to early 00's as a student its definitely not the same rabid fan base that ATTENDS the game. I agree, true-die-hard fans have been priced out.
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We were probably on campus at the same time. My son is a student at UT now and even he comments about how things are different than what I described. To the point that I’ve had to sit down and make sure I wasn’t hallucinating those years. And that’s just for the student section.

He grew up in the leanest and worst years UT has had, me dragging him to every game to watch some good games and a lot of bad ones. The fan experience now is either a Saturday afternoon tea social, where you’ll get the stink eye for standing up and cheering or you get put right in the middle of the most obnoxious drunks that go to the other extreme. It’s indicative of what you said - fans have been priced out and your left with the crowd that doesn’t really care and are there for their own social justifications.
 
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#12
#12
DooleyOrangePants said:
We were probably on campus at the same time. My son is a student at UT now and even he comments about how things are different than what I described. To the point that I’ve had to sit down and make sure I wasn’t hallucinating those years. And that’s just for the student section.

He grew up in the leanest and worst years UT has had, me dragging him to every game to watch some good games and a lot of bad ones. The fan experience now is either a Saturday afternoon tea social, where you’ll get the stink eye for standing up and cheering or you get put right in the middle of the most obnoxious drunks that go to the other extreme. It’s indicative of what you said - fans have been priced out and your left with the crowd that doesn’t really care and are there for their own social justifications.
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Thats super sad man. Growing up I looked forward to going to games with my dad and football season like it was Christmas. Awesome memories spending the entire Saturday cheering on the Orange. Everyone was hoarse at church the next day from screaming their lungs out and it didnt matter if it was Bama game or Walter's State CC.

Looking back I wish I appreciated it more and soaked it all in. But as a youngin I always thought itd be that way.......super sad hearing this.
 
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#13
#13
NATHAN05 said:
Thats super sad man. Growing up I looked forward to going to games with my dad and football season like it was Christmas. Awesome memories spending the entire Saturday cheering on the Orange. Everyone was hoarse at church the next day from screaming their lungs out and it didnt matter if it was Bama game or Walter's State CC.

Looking back I wish I appreciated it more and soaked it all in. But as a youngin I always thought itd be that way.......super sad hearing this.
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At least there’s basketball and baseball and a lot of other sports that many don’t pay attention to. We’ve been going to the big 3 since he was a baby, so there’s that. And he’s been enjoying in his time there going to volleyball, rugby and anything else he and his friends have time for. But no one except those of us who lived it can understand how unreal the football experience was in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
 
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#14
#14
The fans are still loud so BS that Neyland isn’t loud or a huge advantage to the home team.

This team is Not very good - period. As someone posted, the crowd can’t stay involved every play when the D allows 3rd down conversions all day.

There have always been open seats the Sat after thanksgiving - Even back in the 90’s. Also, you have 3rd parties gobbling up tickets to resale- I hate that part of the game.

Last, some of the fanbase was still dejected about losing to Oklahoma and not going to playoffs.
 
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#18
#18
vol94 said:
The fans are still loud so BS that Neyland isn’t loud or a huge advantage to the home team.

This team is Not very good - period. As someone posted, the crowd can’t stay involved every play when the D allows 3rd down conversions all day.

There have always been open seats the Sat after thanksgiving - Even back in the 90’s. Also, you have 3rd parties gobbling up tickets to resale- I hate that part of the game.

Last, some of the fanbase was still dejected about losing to Oklahoma and not going to playoffs.
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It's not BS. Neyland is not as loud. I know what I see and have heard hundreds say the same thing. Believe what you want
 
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#21
#21
DaddyChad said:
It’s not as loud as it once was you could feel the place kind of vibrate on a different frequency a few times a year. That said it’s still loud AF; loud enough to cause hearing loss.
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It’s loud. And can get overwhelmingly so. UGA game this year was teeth chattering loud at points. But it’s almost random when it happens and when it really matters, it feels like people have already shot their shot early and are done with it.

Maybe it’s recency bias, but it felt like in the old days, it was sustained and you knew once the team needed the assist, it was going to be overwhelming. Not so much anymore - we get curated times to get loud and the same music playlist they want to highlight.
 
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#22
#22
DooleyOrangePants said:
Welcome to the transactional college experience. The entire game day experience has been turned into a curated social experience first and foremost. It’s clear the draw is no longer the actual game or team, but the “experience”.
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Theyre wanting to turn it into Banana Ball where the results on the field have nothing to do with the enjoyment.
 
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#24
#24
The 4 SEC SEC teams that played in Neyland this year had no problems with the crowd. We couldn't even get them to false start 😭. Neyland, Lindsey Nelson and Thompson Boling are not the same as it was a few years ago. People care about checkered Neyland, dark mode and other stupid crap, and catering to the rich folks. The passionate common fan is getting priced out
 
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#25
#25
GoBigOrange_2309 said:
Attended my first game in years yesterday and wasn’t overly impressed. There were loud moments in the first half but there was a lot of fans around me not making noise
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Same. I was at the Cal Bears game, and Neyland felt like it would explode. This game, by comparison, felt like the moms were getting upset and covering the ears of their kids.
 
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