Could the infamous "lunatic fringe" of our fanbase simply be trolling

[ejvols4]

I ask this as a serious question. I grew up in Alabama and have seen in-person just how insane and irrational Bama and even some Auburn fans can be. Every fan base has their lunatic fringe that, at least on some levels, is vocal and influences administrative decisions.

But dear God some of the things that are written on this forum. I cite this recent thread as a model:

http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-vols-basketball/217643-our-ad-administration-likes-slapping-around.html

I agree, Michael White definitely isn't a Roy Williams or Bill Self caliber coach right now, but that post is so ignorant, flaming and utterly insane that it reeks of a troll. That's the kind of **** I see on Youtube comments when some random person is just trying to stir up a fight.

At this point I think it's fair to say that the media, athletes, potential future coaches and the administration looks at some of the things on this site from time to time.

Is it possible (considering the media has already established the narrative that UT fans are crazy and unsatisfiable) that VN is now being flooded with trolls attempting to propagate this idea?

Or maybe I'm just paranoid and everyone here really is insane... :dunno:

 

[UT_Dutchman]

Good post, some of the vocal minority are definitely trolling but some I think believe in a twisted way they are helping the cause. Looks like this latest spoof is going to hurt UT athletics for some time.

 

[ManningBerry#1]

Well at least I didn't have to google any of these names mentioned like I had to when Dooley got hired. Just my own little ray of sunshine I suppose lol

 

[EZE]

Good post, some of the vocal minority are definitely trolling but some I think believe in a twisted way they are helping the cause. Looks like this latest spoof is going to hurt UT athletics for some time.

You are correct. Back to the Wade Houston era.

 

[sameolvol]

Not just a poignant observation, but truly most likely. Without bringing up the various monikers these individuals stick up there (They change anyways), just like rogue, go-it-alone terrorists, it's been common on a lot of sites for enemy fans to sabotage teams to varying degrees by making the target fan base look far worse than it is. I'll continue to call 'em when I see 'em, as many of us did with GVX as we witnessed it falling over the cliff. It helps by hitting "ignore" when they're recognized. Thanks for the thread.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

You are correct. Back to the Wade Houston era.

You forgot to add "black curtains" and whatever other crap you're supposed to post.

 

[vol81]

sadly while there are certainly some trolls among us
most that post the inane nonsense
are just simple minded people
you know......Morons
you simply cannot fix stupid
they live in a dream world where reality is what they think it should be
I wish they would support another team with their "loyalty"