LNS: Is the Hornet’s Nest Gone?

[TheMookieMonster]

Crowd was great tonight. I’ll admit. I hope that is something we see every major home game moving forward. Players fight too hard to have a muted environment. Happy to see that the fans got behind the team tonight and willed them to victory. Andrew said as much post game.

 

[WallyBalls]

Just as much as I'll criticize us as a fanbase, I'll praise too. Last night was a complete turnaround from the previous day. Took a minute, but once it got going, THAT'S how LNS has felt. THAT'S what we want to see.

A huge, MASSIVE chunk of that credit goes to one single, small group- the players families and friends. I sit right next to them. They were the ones standing and making noise even when things started to slack off. They kept it going (at least on the 1B side). Love them for it.

And I do think the frustration of sunday weeded out some of the downers, then cheaper more accessible tickets improved things as well.

I want that place looking like the Caddy Swim day at Bushwood...and that got close to it.

An animal section out in right sounds fantastic.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

 

[taylorvol]

Yep. I can see and understand both sides but the fans did a good job. As soon as the catcher jawed with Fish, everyone was engaged.

Criticizing is fair, but when they show up strong, like tonight, that can be recognized as well.

GBO!!!

It was with Levi Clark but I get your point. Matt Conde (Wake Catcher) got mouthy with Clark after Levi took displeasure with being beamed twice. Conde ignited the team and the crowd.

 

[taylorvol]

The Lindsey still has its stinger, and can still be a Hornet’s Nest! What a crowd last night! I can barely speak today! It was electric!

PS. if I’m grading, the lower bowl between the dugouts still has lots of room for improvement (less than 20% bother to make any noise or get off their arses) with a C, but down both lines gets an A+.

 

[WallyBalls]

The Lindsey still has its stinger, and can still be a Hornet’s Nest! What a crowd last night! I can barely speak today! It was electric!

PS. if I’m grading, the lower bowl between the dugouts still has lots of room for improvement (less than 20% bother to make any noise or get off their arses) with a C, but down both lines gets an A+.

My hope is enough of the newer people got a taste last night and will know what to be when conference play rolls around next March. I have no voice left and my body is physically sore.

Plus maybe some of the quiet, only-there-because-donor-rank people will move from MVP to the premium suites, some of the snootier types in regular seating move to MVPs, and let some of the more normal fans into the regular seating.

Also, there will be more standing/drink rail areas too, which definitely helps things on big weekends.

 

[CAVPUT]

Agreed. Watching the game on TV last night, I was disgusted. We had a psycho maniac for Wake Forest on the mound punching himself in the head, showing how affected my his emotions he is as a freshmen, and our fans mostly sat there and did nothing.

I get that the rain early on impacted the vibe. But the environment just isn’t the same anymore. You can cut the tension with the knife through the TV. I think our fans are quickly taking for granted what this program has become, and now they just expect us to win without any fan support.

I’m not sure how you fix it, maybe you can’t with the cost of going to the game these days getting out of control. But it’s always going to be my biggest concern about keeping Vitello. I still think that as amazing as our fanbase is collectively across all sports, we’re still a football school first and we just don’t give our all for the rest of them. The environment in TBA for basketball has also noticeably gotten worse over the years.

Easy....bring back the students. Give 'em the choice seats near the action. Same for hoops. Now that I've handled that problem, I'm gonna go feed my unicorn.

 

[kckempf]

Easy....bring back the students. Give 'em the choice seats near the action. Same for hoops. Now that I've handled that problem, I'm gonna go feed my unicorn.

Not really going to have much effect in June.

 

[@1RBFjr]

Not really going to have much effect in June.

I would estimate that 90% or more of the student section was filled last night.

I thought I recognized Liam Doyle coming in, but my confirmation was hearing the student section from my seats on the third base side.

They turned out in force, and were loud

 

[CAVPUT]

Not really going to have much effect in June.

A bit tongue in cheek on my part, but just like the unicorn, it's a myth/fantasy. It's not going to happen. Dollars drive this now so it is what it is.

 

[chuckiepoo]

The biggest issue from my perspective is there aren’t really any household names that have started and ended their careers with Tennessee. And it’s not just a baseball issue. We’re about to see it in basketball now that Zakai is gone. Hunter Ensley is like the only position player that fits the profile for a true VFL. The past several teams were littered with guys that were “Tennessee” through and through. College athletics has become nothing more than mercenary sports. Just go get a stopgap every season from the transfer portal. I don’t blame the coaches because this is the hand they have been dealt. I’m sure if you asked them they would much prefer the former of building a sustainable program as opposed to having to deal with the portal every year. College sports as a whole is losing its luster among fans because it is becoming more and more like professional sports where you have an entirely different roster year to year, kids threatening to leave if they don’t get a raise. It is a huge turnoff for fans. It used to mean something to be a 3-4 year player at the school. You used to build a connection and it’s just not the same anymore.

Think speed dating and lean into it…

 

[chuckiepoo]

People start paying what they consider to be a significant amount of money for something and their mindset changes on why they're going. Instead of going to be a part of the game, they go be entertained and "get what they paid for." That is human nature that transcends sports. It shows up in all facets of life. UT baseball is the new hot thing in town and the prices and popularity have changed not just the demographic of who is in the stadium, but the mindset.

I have, since I was old enough to remember, been disgusted by people attending UT games socially. I largely refused to sit in the student section while I was in school because too many of the students were just there bc it was the place to be socially, and didn't have a clue about football.

To me at least, we are there to help the team. To impose our will upon the enemy, I mean visitors. To make their lives absolutely miserable for 2-4 hours. Be hospitable after the game, but during the game the opposing team should think they're in a den of lunatics, and the umps should be trying to figure out how to eject the entire crowd and still escape with their lives.

Forget what we paid for the ticket. When we go to the game, we've gotta ask ourselves a question. Are we going to be entertained or going to be a Volunteer. Most of us will never have the talent necessary to get on that field and actually contribute. What little impact we can have on the game from the stands is how we contribute. If we're going just to watch and be entertained, then that's not Volunteering. That's what they do at Peabody on West End in Nashville.

If you're lucky enough to go today, go be a Volunteer!

 

[My VOLS are huge]

the lower bowl between the dugouts still has lots of room for improvement (less than 20% bother to make any noise or get off their arses)

Look at the demographic in this area. Older, rich, season ticket holders. Make a place for them to sit and put rabid fans in those seats.

 

[VolFan_stuck_in_the_901]

Look at the demographic in this area. Older, rich, season ticket holders. Make a place for them to sit and put rabid fans in those seats.

Won't a lot of those folks be moved upstairs to the premium club seats once they're finished with construction? If they are then it would make more room for the diehard, passionate fans in the lower bowl.

 

[taylorvol]

Not really going to have much effect in June.

BS. Tons of students are in Knoxville in the Summer and attend Regionals and Supers. It’s been virtually full capacity every year we’ve hosted and they’ve been loud.

 

[Vols330]

I think it's a catch-22 as long as our capacity is below 10K. You need the older people to fund NIL and I completely understand if they want to be comfortable. If you're paying that amount of money, you have the right to choose how you watch a game. However, LSU, Arkansas, and others have much more capacity and can sell tickets at cheaper prices as well as keep their loyal boosters happy with good seats.

I do not have season tickets but took my boys to out of seven of the regional games because I love baseball. I was the loudest one in my section for all the games because that's my part to fuel the success. I would also love season tickets like most other middle class families, but they have destroyed that possibility with their new system.

 

[VolPack22]

Think speed dating and lean into it…

It’s like a box of chocolates…

 

[CAVPUT]

Look at the demographic in this area. Older, rich, season ticket holders. Make a place for them to sit and put rabid fans in those seats.

So...where do you relocate my dollars and keep me happy?

 

[Ned Land]

Just as much as I'll criticize us as a fanbase, I'll praise too. Last night was a complete turnaround from the previous day. Took a minute, but once it got going, THAT'S how LNS has felt. THAT'S what we want to see.

A huge, MASSIVE chunk of that credit goes to one single, small group- the players families and friends. I sit right next to them. They were the ones standing and making noise even when things started to slack off. They kept it going (at least on the 1B side). Love them for it.

And I do think the frustration of sunday weeded out some of the downers, then cheaper more accessible tickets improved things as well.

I want that place looking like the Caddy Swim day at Bushwood...and that got close to it.

An animal section out in right sounds fantastic.

Crowd really responded to the tough love. Tremendous night at the park.