As most of you know, I make my home in Tennessee. For the next few weeks, you are about to enter my nightmare. Some recommendations and things you should know about interacting with UT fans is as follows:
1. Most UT fans did not attend the university. An amazing number have never even been there. But they consider themselves rabid diehard fans. Until the team loses two games in a row. Then they turn on the coaches, the school, the team, and the individual players. Take the worst of the posters on this board, make it worse by a factor of 10, and then multiply by thousands of fans.
2. Like many similar teams with schools attached, these fans tend to be the ones that say boys-will-be-boys when player arrests become rampant - no matter what the charge. And get mad at the university for suspending players and would storm the gates if a star player were kicked off the team for being convicted of a major crime. Ask them about APR and they will look quizzically at you. Once you explain what it is, they will tell you that such things are for sissy schools.
3. If a Tennessee fan posts anything about "team speed," go ahead and put them on ignore. That is the mantra of the uneducated SEC fan. That means that they know nothing about the relative teams and know little about football but have heard the talking heads on television use that phrase a lot. So they must have it and whoever they play must not.
4. Uneducated SEC fans never watch teams outside of the SEC and never put any effort into learning anything about them. They just know that all other conferences are slow and inferior.
5. The fans that you meet at the game are people that will actually put effort and money into supporting their team. Enjoy them. They are the best of the best. The posters here will be a mixed bag. Some good. Some bad. The bad ones will make you look fondly on the Cal fans.
6. If a UT fan asks for your address, don't give it. They just want to be able to mail dog feces to you if NU wins.
You were warned.
1. Most UT fans did not attend the university. An amazing number have never even been there. But they consider themselves rabid diehard fans. Until the team loses two games in a row. Then they turn on the coaches, the school, the team, and the individual players. Take the worst of the posters on this board, make it worse by a factor of 10, and then multiply by thousands of fans.
2. Like many similar teams with schools attached, these fans tend to be the ones that say boys-will-be-boys when player arrests become rampant - no matter what the charge. And get mad at the university for suspending players and would storm the gates if a star player were kicked off the team for being convicted of a major crime. Ask them about APR and they will look quizzically at you. Once you explain what it is, they will tell you that such things are for sissy schools.
3. If a Tennessee fan posts anything about "team speed," go ahead and put them on ignore. That is the mantra of the uneducated SEC fan. That means that they know nothing about the relative teams and know little about football but have heard the talking heads on television use that phrase a lot. So they must have it and whoever they play must not.
4. Uneducated SEC fans never watch teams outside of the SEC and never put any effort into learning anything about them. They just know that all other conferences are slow and inferior.
5. The fans that you meet at the game are people that will actually put effort and money into supporting their team. Enjoy them. They are the best of the best. The posters here will be a mixed bag. Some good. Some bad. The bad ones will make you look fondly on the Cal fans.
6. If a UT fan asks for your address, don't give it. They just want to be able to mail dog feces to you if NU wins.
You were warned.