An Open Call to Keep Politics Out of Football Discussions

#1
VolInNW

VolInNW

Trapped in PAC 12 Country
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#1
All,

One of the great things about VN is that we have quarantined (pun intended) our politics discussions to the Politics forum. The football forums are remarkably politics free, and allow us to discuss football, and share our love of our Vols and our healthy hatred of every other major program. Unfortunately, COVID has taken us into areas we have never experienced before. The threads about the coming football season have taken a decidedly political turn. I count myself as guilty as anyone in allowing politics to enter my posts in this area.

Not sure how to address this, but wanted to put it out there. I am going to make a concerted effort to keep politics out of my posts. I guess I would ask that everyone try and do the same. Then, if you're so inclined, head to the politics forum and rip each other apart! :cool::cool::cool:

The football season is either going to be cancelled/modified or it isn't. Let's focus on how we preserve as much of the 2020 season as possible, without getting locked up in battles over whether there is a threat or not.

Just a thought. Flame away if you're so inclined...........

OH.....AND GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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#3
#3
VolInNW said:
All,

One of the great things about VN is that we have quarantined (pun intended) our politics discussions to the Politics forum. The football forums are remarkably politics free, and allow us to discuss football, and share our love of our Vols and our healthy hatred of every other major program. Unfortunately, COVID has taken us into areas we have never experienced before. The threads about the coming football season have taken a decidedly political turn. I count myself as guilty as anyone in allowing politics to enter my posts in this area.

Not sure how to address this, but wanted to put it out there. I am going to make a concerted effort to keep politics out of my posts. I guess I would ask that everyone try and do the same. Then, if you're so inclined, head to the politics forum and rip each other apart! :cool::cool::cool:

The football season is either going to be cancelled/modified or it isn't. Let's focus on how we preserve as much of the 2020 season as possible, without getting locked up in battles over whether there is a threat or not.

Just a thought. Flame away if you're so inclined...........

OH.....AND GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Politics is largely guiding public policy, not science.

Public policy will determine if we have college football.

Hence, the nexus of politics and football.

IMO, it's a sad day in America when you can (usually) ID someone's political affiliation based upon their stance on whether wearing a mask (or not) during a friggin pandemic is a good idea.
 
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#5
#5
VolAllen said:
Going to be a bit difficult to talk about FOOTBALL rather than POLITICS when there is NO FOOTBALL because of POLITICS.

But yea, those Peyton years....glorious. (As if we haven’t been beating that drum for 2 decades)
Click to expand...

LOL. Then there is always the time space continuum discussion of the existence, or not, of Gaffney's possession of the ball in 2000.
 
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#6
#6
VolAllen said:
Going to be a bit difficult to talk about FOOTBALL rather than POLITICS when there is NO FOOTBALL because of POLITICS.

But yea, those Peyton years....glorious. (As if we haven’t been beating that drum for 2 decades)
Click to expand...
I will beat this drum instead: We won the National Championship the year after he left. Yes, he was great and an important figure for the program... but our best season was without him.
 
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#7
#7
VolInNW said:
All,

One of the great things about VN is that we have quarantined (pun intended) our politics discussions to the Politics forum. The football forums are remarkably politics free, and allow us to discuss football, and share our love of our Vols and our healthy hatred of every other major program. Unfortunately, COVID has taken us into areas we have never experienced before. The threads about the coming football season have taken a decidedly political turn. I count myself as guilty as anyone in allowing politics to enter my posts in this area.

Not sure how to address this, but wanted to put it out there. I am going to make a concerted effort to keep politics out of my posts. I guess I would ask that everyone try and do the same. Then, if you're so inclined, head to the politics forum and rip each other apart! :cool::cool::cool:

The football season is either going to be cancelled/modified or it isn't. Let's focus on how we preserve as much of the 2020 season as possible, without getting locked up in battles over whether there is a threat or not.

Just a thought. Flame away if you're so inclined...........

OH.....AND GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Yet here you are with the word politics in the thread title, in the FF....let mods mod....
 
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#11
#11
MontyPython said:
Politics is largely guiding public policy, not science.

Public policy will determine if we have college football.

Hence, the nexus of politics and football.

IMO, it's a sad day in America when you can (usually) ID someone's political affiliation based upon their stance on whether wearing a mask (or not) during a friggin pandemic is a good idea.
Click to expand...
I agree that for this one topic of discussion, the politics are unavoidable. There will be an unmistakable political component to whether or not there is college football played in 2020. You can't completely avoid it, as part of the discussion.
 
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#12
#12
OP. good intentions. I hope it works. As VolAllen said, the two subjects have become interwoven. Soon, decisions about the season will be made. No football, empty stadium football, social distancing (some fans), full stadium, masks, no mask, take a knee, cover your heart. All have strong feelings one way or the other, and regardless of how this plays out, some factions (maybe yours, maybe mine, maybe that guy over there) will feel butthurt, and want to vent. It's inevitable. I would salute the effort to keep this politics free. It's going to be tough on the mods and Freak here to keep things civil, and I don't envy the policing of all that. One thing we all have in common,(except for a few guests), we love the sound of Rocky Top and the team running through the T. That is a great equalizer.

Since it looks like it can't be avoided, maybe a subforum in the PF could be created for gloves off posting that combines both football and politics. Just a thought. I've never been to the PF, and probably won't, but might have a look at a place where it's understood that it's ok to say what's on your mind.
 
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#14
#14
Ideally, it would be nice to have zero politics in these discussions. But as you mentioned, it's going to be incredibly difficult, at least for the next few months, as pretty much all sports and whether or not they occur depend on the "political" reaction to COVID-19. It's no surprise that the most pressing conversation right now is whether or not the season even occurs. I hope things do stay apolitical, but it will be a tough battle as there won't really be much to discuss if there is no season.
 
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#15
#15
VolInNW said:
Not sure of your point, and the mods will always mod. It's what mods do! :)

My call was for us to mod ourselves to avoid the mods needing to mod so much.
Click to expand...
That the thread is kind of redundant. Its in the rules, and this thread isn't going to stop people from posting about politics wherever they choose, especially with the state that our country is in.
 
#16
#16
BowlBrother85 said:
Too much is made of him on here... and at UT in general.
Click to expand...
BowlBrother85 said:
Too much is made of him on here... and at UT in general.
Click to expand...
Actually that is not true. He brought the attention to the program that started fantastic recruiting starting in 1993. He deserves a lot of credit for what followed. Don’t try to rewrite history here.
I would also like to know what other UT athlete of his era gave more back to the university either financially or in any other area of support? Can you name any students provided scholarships by other former athletes?
 
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#17
#17
onevol74 said:
Actually that is not true. He brought the attention to the program that started fantastic recruiting starting in 1993. He deserves a lot of credit for what followed. Don’t try to rewrite history here.
I would also like to know what other UT athlete of his era gave more back to the university either financially or in any other area of support? Can you name any students provided scholarships by other former athletes?
Click to expand...
I didn't say that he didn't deserve to be honored as an all-time great... I said that too much was made of him. That is just my opinion, of course. When it comes to Peyton, I think we overdo it.
 
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#19
#19
MontyPython said:
Politics is largely guiding public policy, not science.

Public policy will determine if we have college football.

Hence, the nexus of politics and football.

IMO, it's a sad day in America when you can (usually) ID someone's political affiliation based upon their stance on whether wearing a mask (or not) during a friggin pandemic is a good idea.
Click to expand...
I would be willing to bet that age has more to do with it than R or D.
 
#20
#20
VolInNW said:
All,

One of the great things about VN is that we have quarantined (pun intended) our politics discussions to the Politics forum. The football forums are remarkably politics free, and allow us to discuss football, and share our love of our Vols and our healthy hatred of every other major program. Unfortunately, COVID has taken us into areas we have never experienced before. The threads about the coming football season have taken a decidedly political turn. I count myself as guilty as anyone in allowing politics to enter my posts in this area.

Not sure how to address this, but wanted to put it out there. I am going to make a concerted effort to keep politics out of my posts. I guess I would ask that everyone try and do the same. Then, if you're so inclined, head to the politics forum and rip each other apart! :cool::cool::cool:

The football season is either going to be cancelled/modified or it isn't. Let's focus on how we preserve as much of the 2020 season as possible, without getting locked up in battles over whether there is a threat or not.

Just a thought. Flame away if you're so inclined...........

OH.....AND GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Needed post :)
 
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#22
#22
VolInNW said:
LakeMaryFlVol, I believe you and I are on different sides of the political spectrum, but regardless, that was well played. A Tip-o-the-Tam to you! :cool:
Click to expand...
We already knew that...hopefully your side isn’t being fooled by the “polls”....again....
 
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