No one is above it when they are thirsty and dying for clicks and revenue. Classic journalism is in big big trouble and these guys are just floundering.
I'm not advancing a position of "other fanbases do this stuff too." I'm advancing one of "quit obfuscating key elements of what actually happened." You want to bad-mouth UT fans for being poor sports or hounding Wolken? Okay. But don't act like Wolken is some neutral observer that was picked out randomly, or that there were not SEVERAL pieces of officiating that were questionable in that one game by a crew who has 11 years of writing about how much they blow calls, including apologies from the league about that SAME CREW THIS VERY [uck fay]ING YEAR. That's my beef. Referring to us as villains is his perogative and opinion, but at least tell the full tragic origin story. And if the fans throwing trash are the villains, it suggests someone is the hero. I'm guessing in careful analysis under that paradigm, it is the fans who are NOT and the players who have to eat these shit sandwiches every week and year.
My statement was probably more general in aspect. There are other fanbases out there as rabid as ours, they have just not been kicked in the gut repeatedly over the last 10-12 years like we have, all at the same time watching our biggest rival build the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport. Like the 247 guy said, this was going to happen somewhere somehow sooner or later.
Tennessee fans are different. We are the most fanatical. That is accurate. Shame, self-loathing, or embarrassment has little effect- which indeed may be nefarious traits. I don't need anybody's permission to feel constantly up against the wall in the 21st century landscape of Power 5 athletics. When you are scrapping for every opportunity to crawl back up from a small roster, bad optics, bad hires, and "prisoner of the moment" takes, every bad call, inconsistent SEC decision, and flippant media take is amplified. By God, my response to them shall be amplified in turn. I am not advocating throwing garbage, murder, arborcide, or looking the other way while children are molested in the facilities-- all things which are bad and apparently on par with what happened late in the game against Ole Miss, judging by the "unprecedented" comments from national media. But I shall rabble and troll, and respond. Am I self-inflicting wounds? Who knows? Who could tell, when we are already covered in them? But if someone's swinging, we're gonna swing back every [uck fay]ing time and not stop until they stop.
I say we are the most fanatical because we still show up like we did Saturday and like we did against Oklahoma despite all the recent history. This does. not. happen. other places. Baseball team shows out? Boom, massive baseball school overnight. Basketball team gets going? Bam, basketball school. Setting attendance records for any sign of success. Not sustained success-- ANY success. And we do all that while intermingled in geography with our biggest rivals, all having historic runs. I'm not sure we are giving self-inflicting wounds at the same rate at which we clearly are breathing self-sustaining enthusiasm into over a decade of mediocrity. All these writers will come and go, and there will still be orange-clad fans emerging from the hills, hollers and God-knows-where every time the Vols show up for something.
IP you said it. Take a swing at us and we are throwing haymakers back. People need to stop whining about the return shots. Don't throw shade if you aren't ready for a response.
I called in to local Nashville radio yesterday and asked Buck Reising which was deadlier, Tennessee fans throwing trash or a DJ Durkin led football practice
I dare ESPN gameday to roll into Knoxville. Not just any time soon, but ever. If they do, I may drive up there myself just to bean Herbstriet with a bright Orange golf ball covered in mustard.
Lol. I had just tuned in to the station and didn't hear the name they gave on who was calling in.... but heard you and thought "man that really sounded like Groves on there..."
No, he kind of sounded confused, lol. I don't even listen to 104.5 that much, all these new guys they have on there, don't even hardly know their names. But that's crazy I tuned in just at the right time.
Everyone is focusing on the Bama shooting 2 weeks ago and completely forgets there was another one after Bama/LSU in 2019.
The bridal shower shooting after the kick 6 is one I always remember. The last thing that poor girl heard was, "YOU DON'T LOVE THE TIDE!"
