College Football Will Be Fine and You're Just Being Dramatic.

[Hairy Vols]

I keep seeing all these posts here and it is officially off season posting time so lets cook.

“I am done with college football it is ruined now”
“It is all about the money not like the 90s”

I am talking directly to some of yall on this board when I say this. Some of you are being hypocritical and pretending the past was something it never was.

The 90s were not clean. Everyone knew money was part of recruiting and everyone knew boosters mattered. Acting like kids were choosing schools purely out of love for tradition is not serious. The SEC was already an arms race. It just happened behind closed doors and that does not make it noble.

Do not act like Tennessee was living in a different universe. Recruits were not lining up in Knoxville just because they loved the Vols and the color orange. Benefits existed everywhere in the conference. Cars housing help jobs cash all of it. We won a national title in 1998 right in the middle of that world and players were not loyal for the Vols. The Vols were just the best at cheating at that given moment. Be for real.

Some of yall also need to stop calling that era loyalty. Players stayed because the rules punished leaving. Transfer and you sat out. Speak up and your scholarship could disappear. Scholarships were year to year and coaches held all the power. Staying was safer than leaving. Calling that loyalty now is just rewriting history to make the past feel better. 5 Stars didnt go to Bama because they loved Bama. They just knew that was their best route to the NFL. It is also why they didnt come here because Dooley, Butch, and Pruitt didn't put players in the NFL.

Another thing some of you ignore is where the real money was flowing. After the 1984 TV case college football became a business and everyone knew it. Coaching salaries exploded. Facilities turned into palaces. Conferences chased TV deals. Bowl games multiplied. Tennessee coaches were among the highest paid public employees in the state long before NIL and that was all fine for decades. But now some of you want to say “I miss when players main compensation was free college free facilities and free food.” That is a load of it and nothing but pure jealousy. Those things were never fair compensation for the money being made and the risk players took. These men over the decades made Knoxville and Neyland what they are and they deserve every penny they can legally make.

Now players can move and get paid openly and suddenly some of you are done with college football. That is hypocritical. Coaches have always left for more money. Schools have always chased bigger checks. Networks reshaped the sport for ratings and most of yall defended it. But when players finally get leverage some of you draw the line? Make it make sense.

NIL and the portal did not change college football. They just stopped the pretending. Players are doing openly what was happening quietly for decades. If some of yall were fine with players choosing SEC schools for money in the 90s then being upset now makes no sense. College football is the same. Some of you just do not like that players are no longer required to be quiet about it. This has never been about the name on the back of the jersey. It is about the name on the front. TENNESSEE. I do not care if we get a new batch of 100 players every year because it makes no difference to why I watch. I am here because of the people in my life who love the Vols. My great great grandfather my uncle my father my sister my brother hell everyone I care about. If all this other stuff is “hindering your fandom” then stop making announcement threads and just leave. New Vols will be born and you will be replaced.

I encourage and challenge any of you to bring up why you are “done” now for whatever reason, explain why I am wrong, and I will gladly disprove it. I'm about to PCS so I have some extra time to kill, lol.

Happy off season <3

 

[TAF]

 

[VolAllen]

I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you….

 

[London Vol]

Well written Hairy vol, I generally concur with you. I do think NIL is still in its early stages and it will settle down. It’s needs things like “if you enter the portal you cannot come back” create some repercussions as right now all the player is creating is a bidding war to up the price, secondly I’m not lawyer but the players are truly employees on contracts so how about having a buyout clause like coaches. Again this woukd sober up the player to at least think twice.

 

[feathersax]

Well written Hairy vol, I generally concur with you. I do think NIL is still in its early stages and it will settle down. It’s needs things like “if you enter the portal you cannot come back” create some repercussions as right now all the player is creating is a bidding war to up the price, secondly I’m not lawyer but the players are truly employees on contracts so how about having a buyout clause like coaches. Again this woukd sober up the player to at least think twice.

Giving @London Vol a "LIKE" only because I like him; but in my opinion the OP is wrong. At any rate, I've lost my enthusiasm for college football, along with other "sports". I'll still cheer for Tennessee, but my heart just isn't in it like before.

 

[London Vol]

I must return the compliment feathersax with a "like" its great friends can disagree respectfully on the forum.

 

[guido4198]

I confess, I’m one of those folks Hairy Vols is talking about. While not ready to walk away from college football altogether, I decry the current state of affairs. Perhaps things will settle down with some kind of new regulation, I don’t know, and won’t guess. I’ll remain interested and see how it goes.
FWIW… I have to agree that money, cars, special favors, etc have been a part of the game for years. When I was a high school Senior, considering college options, Alabama’s representatives made sure I knew about envelopes of cash that were slipped under doors in the players dorm on the nights before games.
All I would say at this point is that to reflect the “ New Reality”.. it’s time to modify the sign players see and smack with their hands as they head for the field.
How’s about:
“ I WILL GIVE MY ALL TODAY FOR $$$”

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

I keep seeing all these posts here and it is officially off season posting time so lets cook.

“I am done with college football it is ruined now”
“It is all about the money not like the 90s”

I am talking directly to some of yall on this board when I say this. Some of you are being hypocritical and pretending the past was something it never was.

The 90s were not clean. Everyone knew money was part of recruiting and everyone knew boosters mattered. Acting like kids were choosing schools purely out of love for tradition is not serious. The SEC was already an arms race. It just happened behind closed doors and that does not make it noble.

Do not act like Tennessee was living in a different universe. Recruits were not lining up in Knoxville just because they loved the Vols and the color orange. Benefits existed everywhere in the conference. Cars housing help jobs cash all of it. We won a national title in 1998 right in the middle of that world and players were not loyal for the Vols. The Vols were just the best at cheating at that given moment. Be for real.

Some of yall also need to stop calling that era loyalty. Players stayed because the rules punished leaving. Transfer and you sat out. Speak up and your scholarship could disappear. Scholarships were year to year and coaches held all the power. Staying was safer than leaving. Calling that loyalty now is just rewriting history to make the past feel better. 5 Stars didnt go to Bama because they loved Bama. They just knew that was their best route to the NFL. It is also why they didnt come here because Dooley, Butch, and Pruitt didn't put players in the NFL.

Another thing some of you ignore is where the real money was flowing. After the 1984 TV case college football became a business and everyone knew it. Coaching salaries exploded. Facilities turned into palaces. Conferences chased TV deals. Bowl games multiplied. Tennessee coaches were among the highest paid public employees in the state long before NIL and that was all fine for decades. But now some of you want to say “I miss when players main compensation was free college free facilities and free food.” That is a load of it and nothing but pure jealousy. Those things were never fair compensation for the money being made and the risk players took. These men over the decades made Knoxville and Neyland what they are and they deserve every penny they can legally make.

Now players can move and get paid openly and suddenly some of you are done with college football. That is hypocritical. Coaches have always left for more money. Schools have always chased bigger checks. Networks reshaped the sport for ratings and most of yall defended it. But when players finally get leverage some of you draw the line? Make it make sense.

NIL and the portal did not change college football. They just stopped the pretending. Players are doing openly what was happening quietly for decades. If some of yall were fine with players choosing SEC schools for money in the 90s then being upset now makes no sense. College football is the same. Some of you just do not like that players are no longer required to be quiet about it. This has never been about the name on the back of the jersey. It is about the name on the front. TENNESSEE. I do not care if we get a new batch of 100 players every year because it makes no difference to why I watch. I am here because of the people in my life who love the Vols. My great great grandfather my uncle my father my sister my brother hell everyone I care about. If all this other stuff is “hindering your fandom” then stop making announcement threads and just leave. New Vols will be born and you will be replaced.

I encourage and challenge any of you to bring up why you are “done” now for whatever reason, explain why I am wrong, and I will gladly disprove it. I'm about to PCS so I have some extra time to kill, lol.

Happy off season <3

This is partly true but the one year rental thing is legitimately corrosive.

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

Buyouts, two year minimums, and going back to only one transfer where you don’t sit out would solve a lot and would be good for the health of the game. I agree that the players have to get a good sized cut, but you also have to prioritize the quality of the sport. Sports can be ruined by greed without guardrails.

 

[Jackcrevol]

View attachment 809461

 

[BigBadVol]

I bet you do see merchandise sales drop dramatically. No one is going to buy a player’s jersey just to have him hit the portal a month later. I would bet they are already seeing a decline in merchandise revenue. JMO.

 

[Jackcrevol]

Giving @London Vol a "LIKE" only because I like him; but in my opinion the OP is wrong. At any rate, I've lost my enthusiasm for college football, along with other "sports". I'll still cheer for Tennessee, but my heart just isn't in it like before.

college basketball (esp FCS teams, Socon) and college baseball. Along with women's tennis, soccer, and softball.

 

[njvols]

Don't disagree w/ OP post. SEC and CFB putting a better product out there every week w/ expanded SEC and 9 game slate coming. For me, it was refreshing not to have the club of UGA, Bama, OSU, Mich, etc in final four of playoffs...the field is obviously evening out, and that's good for the sport. Every week the last two years, and even more w/ 9 game SEC starting, there's multiple really good matchups...on top of really, if you don't show up, literally any team can beat you. This hasn't been true in the past. This being said, I have no problem w/ players being paid...it's the portal rules, or lack thereof that CFB has got to figure out and put guardrails on, or they do risk a lot more disinterest from the fans. It's nearly impossible for head coaches to develop and manage their rosters in the current situation.

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

I keep seeing all these posts here and it is officially off season posting time so lets cook.

“I am done with college football it is ruined now”
“It is all about the money not like the 90s”

I am talking directly to some of yall on this board when I say this. Some of you are being hypocritical and pretending the past was something it never was.

The 90s were not clean. Everyone knew money was part of recruiting and everyone knew boosters mattered. Acting like kids were choosing schools purely out of love for tradition is not serious. The SEC was already an arms race. It just happened behind closed doors and that does not make it noble.

Do not act like Tennessee was living in a different universe. Recruits were not lining up in Knoxville just because they loved the Vols and the color orange. Benefits existed everywhere in the conference. Cars housing help jobs cash all of it. We won a national title in 1998 right in the middle of that world and players were not loyal for the Vols. The Vols were just the best at cheating at that given moment. Be for real.

Some of yall also need to stop calling that era loyalty. Players stayed because the rules punished leaving. Transfer and you sat out. Speak up and your scholarship could disappear. Scholarships were year to year and coaches held all the power. Staying was safer than leaving. Calling that loyalty now is just rewriting history to make the past feel better. 5 Stars didnt go to Bama because they loved Bama. They just knew that was their best route to the NFL. It is also why they didnt come here because Dooley, Butch, and Pruitt didn't put players in the NFL.

Another thing some of you ignore is where the real money was flowing. After the 1984 TV case college football became a business and everyone knew it. Coaching salaries exploded. Facilities turned into palaces. Conferences chased TV deals. Bowl games multiplied. Tennessee coaches were among the highest paid public employees in the state long before NIL and that was all fine for decades. But now some of you want to say “I miss when players main compensation was free college free facilities and free food.” That is a load of it and nothing but pure jealousy. Those things were never fair compensation for the money being made and the risk players took. These men over the decades made Knoxville and Neyland what they are and they deserve every penny they can legally make.

Now players can move and get paid openly and suddenly some of you are done with college football. That is hypocritical. Coaches have always left for more money. Schools have always chased bigger checks. Networks reshaped the sport for ratings and most of yall defended it. But when players finally get leverage some of you draw the line? Make it make sense.

NIL and the portal did not change college football. They just stopped the pretending. Players are doing openly what was happening quietly for decades. If some of yall were fine with players choosing SEC schools for money in the 90s then being upset now makes no sense. College football is the same. Some of you just do not like that players are no longer required to be quiet about it. This has never been about the name on the back of the jersey. It is about the name on the front. TENNESSEE. I do not care if we get a new batch of 100 players every year because it makes no difference to why I watch. I am here because of the people in my life who love the Vols. My great great grandfather my uncle my father my sister my brother hell everyone I care about. If all this other stuff is “hindering your fandom” then stop making announcement threads and just leave. New Vols will be born and you will be replaced.

I encourage and challenge any of you to bring up why you are “done” now for whatever reason, explain why I am wrong, and I will gladly disprove it. I'm about to PCS so I have some extra time to kill, lol.

Happy off season <3

Are you a writer, because that was an excellent post.

 

[Webbvol32]

I'm sorry y'all but we all know that had we won the SEC or Natty we would all be happy as heck with the present situation with transfers and NIL. I believe we should have paid Nico or bought a better QB last year and we very well may have. But we all know that we SEC teams had won the Natty 20 of last 23 years or something like that and as part of the playoff deal the Yanks were told we'd be good guys and let them win. Michigan OSU and Notre Dame are the 3 traditional Yank powerhouse programs. They just got Indiana to take NDs spot due to the Catholic Church scandals. We are going to be winning the Natty in the next 5 years. Go Vols!

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

I bet you do see merchandise sales drop dramatically. No one is going to buy a player’s jersey just to have him hit the portal a month later. I would bet they are already seeing a decline in merchandise revenue. JMO.

Why would merchandise sales plummet? Are you supporting the player or the school? You can personalize a jersey and put your name on it, do you plan on hitting the transfer portal too?

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

Buyouts, two year minimums, and going back to only one transfer where you don’t sit out would solve a lot and would be good for the health of the game. I agree that the players have to get a good sized cut, but you also have to prioritize the quality of the sport. Sports can be ruined by greed without guardrails.

Great guardrails, but you have to have caveats if a coach leaves. Head coach or position coach.

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

Well written Hairy vol, I generally concur with you. I do think NIL is still in its early stages and it will settle down. It’s needs things like “if you enter the portal you cannot come back” create some repercussions as right now all the player is creating is a bidding war to up the price, secondly I’m not lawyer but the players are truly employees on contracts so how about having a buyout clause like coaches. Again this woukd sober up the player to at least think twice.

I would have the new school pay the buyout though. That would cut down on tampering too.

 

[Hairy Vols]

Giving @London Vol a "LIKE" only because I like him; but in my opinion the OP is wrong. At any rate, I've lost my enthusiasm for college football, along with other "sports". I'll still cheer for Tennessee, but my heart just isn't in it like before.

That does make me sad to hear. I do hate the idea that people are enjoying football less because of all of this. I do thing our fans need some winning and big ones. I mean hell 95% of my experiences being a Vols fan have had some pretty rough moments ya know?

 

[Hairy Vols]

View attachment 809461

I don’t work for like a month. Now was the time to post this.

I didn’t expect this as the first comment. So 10/10 you win.

 

[Hairy Vols]

Well written Hairy vol, I generally concur with you. I do think NIL is still in its early stages and it will settle down. It’s needs things like “if you enter the portal you cannot come back” create some repercussions as right now all the player is creating is a bidding war to up the price, secondly I’m not lawyer but the players are truly employees on contracts so how about having a buyout clause like coaches. Again this woukd sober up the player to at least think twice.

I’ve not verified it, but I’ve heard a lot of players are struggling to find new homes and can’t go back. So that could help. I was hoping the Nico situation would set a good precedent.

Tampering seems to be a very under talked about issue right now as well. I heard Ole Miss just tampered with a player and the other school is pretty pissed.

 

[feathersax]

That does make me sad to hear. I do hate the idea that people are enjoying football less because of all of this. I do thing our fans need some winning and big ones. I mean hell 95% of my experiences being a Vols fan have had some pretty rough moments ya know?

Attended my first game in 1964: Vols vs. KY. Season ticket holder for some 20 years. Son was in the P.O.T.S. Band 1998-2002. Great times, mediocre times, B.V.S. times. To me it's all heading downhill.

 

[Hairy Vols]

I confess, I’m one of those folks Hairy Vols is talking about. While not ready to walk away from college football altogether, I decry the current state of affairs. Perhaps things will settle down with some kind of new regulation, I don’t know, and won’t guess. I’ll remain interested and see how it goes.
FWIW… I have to agree that money, cars, special favors, etc have been a part of the game for years. When I was a high school Senior, considering college options, Alabama’s representatives made sure I knew about envelopes of cash that were slipped under doors in the players dorm on the nights before games.
All I would say at this point is that to reflect the “ New Reality”.. it’s time to modify the sign players see and smack with their hands as they head for the field.
How’s about:
“ I WILL GIVE MY ALL TODAY FOR $$$”

I think a lot of our greats who gave their all (I’m assuming which typically I am against but it’s hard to not) wouldn’t have given any kind of all if not for money.

At the end of the day, despite the nature of my OP, hearing people are not loving the Vols as much does make me sad.

I mean heck tho.. Travis Henry was rumored to not be able to read. I don’t think that was true, but I do think situations like that highlight the importance of what has really been going on here for most of our adult lives.

It’s never been about the player but about the love for the school. I try and tell myself that when people leave or things look grim.

The “love” for the team for the players is built through experiences. Through wins, losses, bonds forged through battle. Ya know?

 

[Hairy Vols]

Attended my first game in 1964: Vols vs. KY. Season ticket holder for some 20 years. Son was in the P.O.T.S. Band 1998-2002. Great times, mediocre times, B.V.S. times. To me it's all heading downhill.

Like the program or the sport?

And may I ask why you feel that way? Respectfully of course.

 

[njvols]

I'm sorry y'all but we all know that had we won the SEC or Natty we would all be happy as heck with the present situation with transfers and NIL. I believe we should have paid Nico or bought a better QB last year and we very well may have. But we all know that we SEC teams had won the Natty 20 of last 23 years or something like that and as part of the playoff deal the Yanks were told we'd be good guys and let them win. Michigan OSU and Notre Dame are the 3 traditional Yank powerhouse programs. They just got Indiana to take NDs spot due to the Catholic Church scandals. We are going to be winning the Natty in the next 5 years. Go Vols!

We could have had Peyton come back for a 5th year and with our D, we wouldn't have made it past the first round of playoffs.