How many of you guys actually attend basketball games at UT

#26
#26
I was a season ticket holder until they fired Bruce and hired Cuonzo. I had nothing against Cuonzo but felt like they weren't serious about basketball.
 
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#27
#27
I don't think that is what the OP was getting at. Not a matter of being an elitist. He was just asking the question asking if those who like to complain about everything the brass at UT does actually puts any skin in the game. If you want to have a bigger say in how UT does things, they can always write a bigger check. That is just a fact in the way things work. I can assure you that if you contribute enough, your opinion matters. Kind of how it works at all big time institutions who collect donations on a regular basis.

He was asking who went to games, no? Not who is making deep pocket donations.

I complain about very little on here except about the sense of entitlement of some posters...but being a fan is NOT about how much money you spend.
 
#29
#29
My buddy's parents have 7th row seats right behind the TN bench. They're getting old, so we get the tickets about half the time. I always walk down behind the bench and throw up a TN shocker on national TV.
 
#30
#30
He was asking who went to games, no? Not who is making deep pocket donations.

I complain about very little on here except about the sense of entitlement of some posters...but being a fan is NOT about how much money you spend.

A lot of my comment was geared toward this part of the quote.

"u guys actually spend your money supporting Tennessee athletics? My guess is not many.

Financially supporting Tennessee athletics for a lot of folks means more than just attending games.
 
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#32
#32
3rd Generation legacy here - My grandad, father and I (all in Southern Florida living currently) are constantly getting e-mails, letters and other 'fundraising' offers from UT and various booster clubs and help out financially. Can't make alot of games , but we do know my grandfather did cut a 5 digit check to UT for Monte Kiffin's bonus December that year they were here and gone. . The letter he got was amazing , upbuilding and he kind of felt burned afterwards TBH. He used to buy 4 season tix for basketball and football which were then donated back to the school for use. He didn't do that afterwards. He has contributed since financially , but not the way he used to. Dude fought in WW2 so what can I say, he's not VFL ? He'd still throw me a punch in his 90's// :)
 
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#33
#33
Clearly many people do spend money on UT. Football. If you build it they will come! The same can happen with basketball. Hire a winner. Win. The fans will follow. See women's basketball. Virginia Tech - last in the ACC for the past 3 seasons - got Buzz Williams! The job at UT is MUCH better than the job at VT! There are only 2 teams better than UT in the SEC. Demand better than a coach who has never been to the NCAA tournament.
 
#34
#34
I donate in the 5 digits. Go to both basketball and football or give my kids/friends the tickets when I can't attend. To this day I've never met a bigger Vol fan than my father was, who mined coal his entire life and only went to a handful of games in his lifetime.

All voices are equal. Donate or not. Alumni or not. If you love UT, you love UT.
 
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#35
#35
I donate in the 5 digits. Go to both basketball and football or give my kids/friends the tickets when I can't attend. To this day I've never met a bigger Vol fan than my father was, who mined coal his entire life and only went to a handful of games in his lifetime.

All voices are equal. Donate or not. Alumni or not. If you love UT, you love UT.

Amen to this! I sometimes feel almost depressed that I'm not an alumni, but post-high school opportunities took me another path, and it paid off just fine. But it bothers the hell out of me when I see/hear that students don't go to games. I have so much pride for my Vols, even after all the losing seasons. I smile every time I see a power T on a car here in SC. It feels a lot different than seeing them in Knoxville for some reason. Point being, I'm not an alumni, but there's no "oranger" blood on this planet than mine 😎
 
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#37
#37
Everyone one entitled to voice their opinions on the coaching hire but I see lots of posts not happy with the way the search is playing out.

I've been a Vol fan my entire life but I don't get upset at coaching hires because there's nothing I can do about it except piss and moan. If they make a bad hire, they eventually correct it and try to get better. Just look at the football situation. Think back to when Butch was hired. I bet most Vol fans were bent out of shape because they wanted a bigger name. That seems to be working out today.

I haven't lived in Tennessee for some time but I still love my Vols. My question is this---- how many of you guys actually spend your money supporting Tennessee athletics? My guess is not many.

Yes the hundreds of thousands that go to game and travel to road games and buy ppv and buy memorabilia and went to school there and donate money to the university. Not many though.
 
#38
#38
Also OP, the reason ESPN loves us (yes, I said it) isn't the 18000. VolNation is much larger than game attendance. Check out the top 10 meter markets for ESPN college basketball:

For the 12th consecutive year, Louisville was the highest-rated metered market for ESPN’s regular-season telecasts, averaging a 4.5 rating. Greensboro, Kansas City and Raleigh-Durham finished tied for second with a 2.8 rating. It marks the third straight year Greensboro has ended the season in the second spot. The remaining top 10 is Memphis (2.6), Columbus (2.0), Cincinnati (1.9), Knoxville (1.9), Dayton (1.9) and Indianapolis (1.8)

source: link

Pretty surprising what cities we compare to in CBB.
 
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#39
#39
Only home games I missed were Georgia and ole miss. That's the most i have attended since pearls 1st 2 years. On average go to at least 10 a year since bruce. And 10 a year from Houston to green. I saw maybe 5 total buzz games. He was the worst
 
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#42
#42
Everyone one entitled to voice their opinions on the coaching hire but I see lots of posts not happy with the way the search is playing out.

I've been a Vol fan my entire life but I don't get upset at coaching hires because there's nothing I can do about it except piss and moan. If they make a bad hire, they eventually correct it and try to get better. Just look at the football situation. Think back to when Butch was hired. I bet most Vol fans were bent out of shape because they wanted a bigger name. That seems to be working out today.

I haven't lived in Tennessee for some time but I still love my Vols. My question is this---- how many of you guys actually spend your money supporting Tennessee athletics? My guess is not many.

Went to Jerry Green-era games, a few Buzz Peterson-era Games, tons of Bruce Pearl era games (including road trips when they were nearby), and none of CM's games. Nothing personal on CM, really, I just (1) moved to the West Coast, (2) didn't enjoy watching his teams play basketball, and (3) was a bit fed up with UT's treatment of athletics in recent years.

I'm not bent out of shape with their coaching search, but if they hire an unknown or another "rising star" then my reaction will be to wait and see how they do (which is what I did with CM) before I start investing time and money into seeing the team play. I'm a Vol, I will always be a Vol, but UT has made too many missteps in the past ten years for me to act otherwise.
 
#43
#43
Yea, true fan thread! Surprised no one has bragged about growing up 10 minutes from Neyland.
 
#45
#45
I live in FL, and I come to Knoxville once in the summer for 1-2 nights of the RTL, 2-4 times for football, and usually a few times for hoops. I also attend relatively nearby road games at places like UF, SCar, UGA, and AU. And, I have a decent streak going of seeing at least some of the SECT. Looking forward to going back to the Disney World hoops tourney in Nov.
 
#46
#46
I fell in love with Tennessee basketball as a child watching Ray Mears halftime shows. As I got older I began to love the game, been attending ever since. The teams that play with heart are my favorite to watch regardless of the coach.
 
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#47
#47
I live 6 hours away and go to 2-3 basketball games at TBA a year (none this year, actually), and I go to EVERY home football game, as well as the USC game in Columbia every other year. All in all, I easily spend $6-$7,000 on the Vols each year.

And lots and lots of heartache.

You definitely live in a great place for fresh seafood dining. Hard not to be envious of that...back on topic, I live on Sheffield DR in West Hills which is never more than a 20 minute drive to Cumberland AVE and I haven't been to a Tenn basketball game since Kansas in 2010...To the OP, a fan isn't defined by someone who attends games, it is defined by an invested emotional interest. I think fans are therefore most frustrated when they aren't sure if their teams leadership (in our case Cheek and Hart) care as much as we do. That is when we complain. Go Vols!
 
#48
#48
A lot of my comment was geared toward this part of the quote.

"u guys actually spend your money supporting Tennessee athletics? My guess is not many.

Financially supporting Tennessee athletics for a lot of folks means more than just attending games.

And I still say the thread wreaks of elitist attitude.
 
#49
#49
Football and baseball Yes. Basketball, No. Still partial to the other Orange up North.. Syracuse!
 
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