It's not only southern middle TN it's all of middle TN. Being a transplant from SW VA where most people in the 70s and 80s were UT fans because that is about all you could get for college football on TV or the radio.
I have never been able to understand why anyone born and raised east of the TN river would be anything but a UT fan. I do know one thing that hurts, the local press and talk radio around Mid TN is unbearable and highly biased against UT.
Saw a man yesterday who lives near Loretta, along the Ala-Tenn border. He was distrought because, though he and his children have been lifelong UT fans, two of his grandchildren have jumped on the Bama bandwagon and become Tide fans.
It reminds me of when I was a child during the great Bear Bryant run, many youngsters living in Southern Tennesssee became Tide fans, since the media, Huntsville in particular, is nonstop Bama propaganda (sp). Hopefully, we can turn our program around and the Criminal Tide will get hammered again by the NCAA.
North Alabama has been a hotbed for UT over the years...See Wes Brown, Aaron Sears, Jason Allen, Jayson Swaim...et al...so you are wrong! I remember listening to Vol Calls on the local Hunstville Al. station in the 80's. Something about the Tennessee River and TVA power that brings North Alabama into our yard more than Alabama's yard.
Many times I have asked southern California sports fans who are not alums of either school which local college team they root for. You know what they say most often? "I root for USC in football and UCLA in basketball." Can you believe that? I cannot fathom that at all. That's like saying "Well, I rooted for the Nazi's in 1940, 1941 and 1942 but after that I rooted for the Allies." Sheesh!
in TN we can definitely relate. Memphis bball and UT football fans are all too common
Saw a man yesterday who lives near Loretta, along the Ala-Tenn border. He was distrought because, though he and his children have been lifelong UT fans, two of his grandchildren have jumped on the Bama bandwagon and become Tide fans.
It reminds me of when I was a child during the great Bear Bryant run, many youngsters living in Southern Tennesssee became Tide fans, since the media, Huntsville in particular, is nonstop Bama propaganda (sp). Hopefully, we can turn our program around and the Criminal Tide will get hammered again by the NCAA.
Grant Earnest and John Jacobs are both former coaches who were big Bammers, but grew up in TN.Not to be the grammer police or anything but its Loretto. It's always pronounced as though it was spelled with an A though. Seeing as how I'm from the area, I actually live in Leoma, thats not uncommon. There are plenty of people that have grew up in the area that Bammer fans.
Wes Brown's parents graduated from Loretto High School as a matter of fact. As did myself about 5yrs ago. When I was there just about all the football coaches were Bammer fans, but I can't blame them since most of them were born and raised in AL. They used to take our football players to camps down at Bama and UNA. And since TVA was brought up I'll make mention that I work for TVA in AL and it sucks with all the Bammer fans.
I have lived in Fayetteville (Lincoln County) for the last 20 years. There are alot of bama fans here. But there are alot of Vol fans also. I can think of at least two dozen people (myself included) here that are huge Vols fans and go to several games every year. But yet I have never seen as much new bama clothing in my life. People I have known here for the last 20 years are all of a sudden bama fans. Makes me sick to my stomach.
Bingo.
Just people with low self esteem that want to be associated with a team that is winning.