are people really shaming the fans for not supporting the team? i remember when the university was finding every way possible to squeeze as many butts into the stadium as they could, and still asked for premium prices. our fans came out, and stayed out, and paid for whatever, FOR YEARS. they bought the tickets, or the parking, or the tailgating, or the adidas gear, or the nike gear, or the knockoff gear, or the new coaching shirts and shoes every year, or the merch that was specific to each sport at the school. they bought subscription plans, newsletters, magazines, paid for "access." The fans took it to the next level, the big orange cash cow. and the powers that be milked the hell out of it and patted the everyday Vol fan on the head like they were a dumbass.
this is the other side of that. people have hit their limit. they feel used and tired, the pool of apathy grows more with every middling season.
at one point this restaurant that we call Tennessee Football served $60 steaks, and they were (mostly) delicious. we were happy to pay for our steaks. every table was taken and reservations were hard to come by. it was the place to be. over time the price remained the same, the item on the menu was named the same, but the steak got worse and worse and now you just get a $5 skirt steak with the same seasoning but your bill is more expensive than ever. If you try really hard, or drink enough, you can fool yourself into thinking you're chewing on the same expensive, delicious steak, but everyone knows it isn't.
most people are saying "have you had the steak at neyland's, man oh man has that place fallen off." People are tired of paying premium price for dollar-brand product. Most people know when they're being ripped off, and they'll only put up with it for so long. The powers that be have abused the common fan for too long, because they know that Tennessee Football is like a family member to them, and they robbed those people blind. The fans are sick of it.
In this era, with pricing and time commitments, it is about so much more than supporting the players or the coaches when you go to a game. You are telling the administration, the university, that you approve of this entire experience and the costs associated. It is not our job to blindly show up and pay whatever because it's our favorite shade of orange. It is THEIR job to make the event rewarding for the fan. They need to do their job.
And yea to your point, Bray did that like every week to Denarius Moore as a freshmen.
