"After this is over, we need to talk"

#1
wmcovol

wmcovol

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#1
I don't know how others feel, I didn't graduate from UT but I've given more to the school than the UT grads I do know. This has been a massive mismanagement of a situation as Ive ever seen in over 40 yrs of business (and Ive seen some major screw ups).

Somewhere people need to be held accountable. This isn't just a football team we're talking about like at Sewanee or such. This is a $100 million a year business that is being run into the ground by politics, ego and stupidity. You expect more out of an institution of higher learning but they look like 3 blind mice running around.

The financial fallback on this is gonna hurt. I look for less than 60K season tickets sold (it was only going to be a banner year if they had a coach that got people excited, they wont). As soon as the TV packages are renewed a severe fall back on that amount will occur (already being discussed behind the scenes) and season ticket holders are once again gonna be a priority. Only in Tennessee's case, another 5 yr debacle of a record will just about kill off those of us who remember Tennessee as a winning program. Today's young people don't.

Spending $340 mil on the stadium at this point is meaningless. Find something else to do with it. Build more statues or more womens bathrooms with it. But don't kid yourself that today's young people have the same loyalty to the alma mater as generations before. Its a new game and no one will come watch losers, even if they do wear orange.
 
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#3
#3
wmcovol said:
I don't know how others feel, I didn't graduate from UT but I've given more to the school than the UT grads I do know. This has been a massive mismanagement of a situation as Ive ever seen in over 40 yrs of business (and Ive seen some major screw ups).

Somewhere people need to be held accountable. This isn't just a football team we're talking about like at Sewanee or such. This is a $100 million a year business that is being run into the ground by politics, ego and stupidity. You expect more out of an institution of higher learning but they look like 3 blind mice running around.

The financial fallback on this is gonna hurt. I look for less than 60K season tickets sold (it was only going to be a banner year if they had a coach that got people excited, they wont). As soon as the TV packages are renewed a severe fall back on that amount will occur (already being discussed behind the scenes) and season ticket holders are once again gonna be a priority. Only in Tennessee's case, another 5 yr debacle of a record will just about kill off those of us who remember Tennessee as a winning program. Today's young people don't.

Spending $340 mil on the stadium at this point is meaningless. Find something else to do with it. Build more statues or more womens bathrooms with it. But don't kid yourself that today's young people have the same loyalty to the alma mater as generations before. Its a new game and no one will come watch losers, even if they do wear orange.
Click to expand...

I understand the sentiment.

The powers that be will need to settle this.

One of those "powers" could be the fanbase, however, they will have to drastically part ways from previous ways. While the uproar originates from keyboard and disperses in more ways that before, fans have never greatly faltered to support the Vols financially.

This may be the time it changes.
 
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#4
#4
Only way for you to be heard now is stop buying tickets and merchandise
And let you children go to other schools
 
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#5
#5
TBvol said:
Only way for you to be heard now is stop buying tickets and merchandise
And let you children go to other schools
Click to expand...
This might get people's attention but it will also cause the admin to cozy up even tighter with those who do give and purchase.
 
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#6
#6
Not only do we go 0-8 in the SEC, but now we just look desperate. Right now everyone in the country is making fun of UT, but it has began to get so bad that people are actually feeling bad for the program, fans, and players. I don't know which is worse, getting made fun of or seeing true pity coming from people.

Either way they need to fix it, fast!
 
#7
#7
As a business person here in Knoxville, the economic impact of the football program is immense. When the team struggles and fans stop coming to Knoxville on game day weekends,the local economy feels the impact.

These incompetent fools are inadvertently impacting my economic future with every bad decision.
 
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#10
#10
VolunteerHillbilly said:
This might get people's attention but it will also cause the admin to cozy up even tighter with those who do give and purchase.
Click to expand...

You may be correct.

I am not suggesting that people stop supporting the Vols financially. I am just making an observation.

What I see are many fans that are in rage behind a keyboard but won't leave the fan base. Threats mean nothing without action (and I don't mean another silly protest or twitter bashing).

Your power, in this case financial, is only as great as the likelihood that you will exercise it.

I am not the only one that notices that fact.
 
#11
#11
dshad said:
As a business person here in Knoxville, the economic impact of the football program is immense. When the team struggles and fans stop coming to Knoxville on game day weekends,the local economy feels the impact.

These incompetent fools are inadvertently impacting my economic future with every bad decision.
Click to expand...

If you are the owner, I appreciate your risk taking,hard work, and sacrifice to make your own business. Fans have shown that they support the Vols even in the down years. I wish you well.
 
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#13
#13
OP, I agree with your beliefs, but my concern is this whole debacle as you put it is indicative of a deeper seated rot that affects the whole administration of UT. As a graduate of the school and grandparent of a present day student and contributor, that rot deeply affects me. It is more than a game and I will be hesitant to recommend my beloved alma mater to the rest of my grandchildren.
 
#14
#14
If we think the only thing the mismanagement of this university has impacted is the athletic dept then we are kidding ourselves. Athletics is the only outlet where the results are open for all of us to see. Frankly the entire university has been a cluster since Joe Johnson left as president with one freak after another being hired.

As my title states, after this is over, we need to talk. True lovers of our state university must decide what action, if any they plan to use to show their disapproval of this mess. I will probably buy season tickets again to support the young men who were sold a pile of ****, not by Butch Jones, but the UT administration. Not supporting those young men is what the Davenport's, Cheeks and others before them want. Frankly, they'd be fine if the entire thing died as long as we give our money for their budgets, perks and trips.
 
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