Basketball bigger than football?

#51
#51
zjcvols said:
Again, I wasn't asking if it was bigger overall. It's not, and I highly doubt ever will be.

I was asking the under 21 crowd which one they liked more, because it seems the younger generation likes basketball more.
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The vibe I get is it's pretty close, I think a legitimate poll would reveal it being much closer than many think.
 
#52
#52
VFL44 said:
The way it's looking, the tables may turn.
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If the BB team wins 6 national championships in the next decade or so, I'll sell all my football memorabilia and jump right on that bandwagon.

I don't see us winning any, but I'd love to be proven wrong. It's not that I don't think we can become an elite program, it's just that you have to make it to the final four frequently to have a shot at a title. They don't call it March Madness for nothing.
 
#53
#53
I love both and support both. I try and go to a few game each a year If I can. However UT will always be a football school unless by some chance we go on a BBALL national championship run of 2-3 in a 5 year span it will be that way. Still love both though.
 
#54
#54
Football will always be my favorite, but I LOVE the BallerVols too. I have to make it to a few games this year!
 
#55
#55
Football has a lot more rooted tradition at UT than basketball, but UT basketball has an in-state recruiting base that can stock a team, and UT football doesn't. It's possible to load a basketball team at UT with great players from just this state, and I suppose we can throw Atlanta in there as well. It's a matter of having a basketball coach who can pull the best local players. With UT football, we cannot win anything without pulling in a ton of guy from all over.

Also, there's a lot more competition in the SEC in football than in basketball, obviously.

Simply put, going forward, it's going to be easier for us to win at basketball.
 
#57
#57
I'm 24 and I like UT football more but I will NOT miss a UT basketball game. I've traveled to enemy territory as much for UT basketball than I have for football.
 
#59
#59
I'm 33, and have always enjoyed UT basketball more than football for several reasons. I grew up on UT football in the late 80's and 90's. I expected UT to be good because I didn't really know much else. The last 10 years has been a tough pill to swallow and I regret taking those "disappointing" 10-2, 11-1 seasons for granted. Consequently, I liked rooting for the basketball team because they were generally expected to be mediocre at best. It was fun cheering for the underdog and seeing them beat Kentucky and Arkansas in the early 90's are memories I will cherish forever.

I always enjoyed basketball more than football, though admittedly, I love both and they are more like 1 and 1a for me. Football pays the bills on the Hill, and that won't ever change regardless of results for either sport. Lest we forget, in Knoxville, like most places in the South, football is king. Nothing wrong with that picture either. Both sports can be supported successfully, and success in one only helps the other honestly. As fans, it gives us something to embrace almost year-round.
 
#60
#60
zjcvols said:
Again, I wasn't asking if it was bigger overall. It's not, and I highly doubt ever will be.

I was asking the under 21 crowd which one they liked more, because it seems the younger generation likes basketball more.
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It's bc the younger crowd tends to be more fair weather fans......if the ut football team played like the one in the nineties......football would be the gave and if both were on the same level.....I would guess football would be king as well.....who cares I can multitask and love all ut sports and pro sports as well.
 
#61
#61
volbeast33 said:
It's bc the younger crowd tends to be more fair weather fans......if the ut football team played like the one in the nineties......football would be the gave and if both were on the same level.....I would guess football would be king as well.....who cares I can multitask and love all ut sports and pro sports as well.
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I'm definitely not a fair weather fan, just love the passion and excitement of college basketball. Nothing like your team playing in the big dance.
 
#62
#62
bleedingTNorange said:
I'm definitely not a fair weather fan, just love the passion and excitement of college basketball. Nothing like your team playing in the big dance.
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I really don't think you are a fair weather but a lot of people claim that but it really shows when we are a five win basketball team and most of the people will be gone....I went to several games the yr we won five ball games and I could hear an echo in Thompson Boling Arena.
 
#63
#63
volbeast33 said:
I really don't think you are a fair weather but a lot of people claim that but it really shows when we are a five win basketball team and most of the people will be gone....I went to several games the yr we won five ball games and I could hear an echo in Thompson Boling Arena.
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While I get what you're saying, does that make them a fair weather fan? Doesn't mean they dont like the team or like basketball more than football which is what the question was...just means for a lot of people they don't want to spend the money to see a bad product.
 
#65
#65
bleedingTNorange said:
While I get what you're saying, does that make them a fair weather fan? Doesn't mean they dont like the team or like basketball more than football which is what the question was...just means for a lot of people they don't want to spend the money to see a bad product.
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I guarantee you that it won't just be money but they will be claiming football as their favorite sport as well bc it will be the winning program and basketball will be the losing program at the time.....just like the roles are reversed now
 
#66
#66
volbeast33 said:
I guarantee you that it won't just be money but they will be claiming football as their favorite sport as well bc it will be the winning program and basketball will be the losing program at the time.....just like the roles are reversed now
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Maybe I'm different I don't know, but I've always enjoyed basketball more. Yes when football is good I'll watch and attend games, and if basketball sucks I may not attend as many....but that doesnt change that I enjoy the sport of basketball more.
 
#67
#67
cncchris33 said:
Football pays the bills on the Hill, and that won't ever change regardless of results for either sport. Lest we forget, in Knoxville, like most places in the South, football is king. Nothing wrong with that picture either. Both sports can be supported successfully, and success in one only helps the other honestly. As fans, it gives us something to embrace almost year-round.
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Actually football and men's basketball are the only 2 sports that are profitable in college athletics.
Judging from TN's financial report from last year, neither are paying the bills right now.
With a couple more years of football like we're seeing now and a couple of E8 or final 4 appearances by the basketball team, basketball will be paying the bills.
Would we then be considered a men's basketball school?
 
#68
#68
calban said:
Actually football and men's basketball are the only 2 sports that are profitable in college athletics.
Judging from TN's financial report from last year, neither are paying the bills right now.
With a couple more years of football like we're seeing now and a couple of E8 or final 4 appearances by the basketball team, basketball will be paying the bills.
Would we then be considered a men's basketball school?
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I don't think basketball will ever be "paying the bills" like football can.

Basketball can support itself. Football can support an entire AD.
 
#69
#69
calban said:
Actually football and men's basketball are the only 2 sports that are profitable in college athletics.
Judging from TN's financial report from last year, neither are paying the bills right now.
With a couple more years of football like we're seeing now and a couple of E8 or final 4 appearances by the basketball team, basketball will be paying the bills.
Would we then be considered a men's basketball school?
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While it's true that they are the only revenue-producing sports, the difference in revenue is astronomical. Basketball will never pay the bills. It's just not feasible. The football program generates roughly 4-5x ($56 mil vs $13 mil) than the basketball team does, and that's in an era where basketball has experienced great success and the football team is in a downturn.

Few schools are producing more revenue from basketball than football. Louisville and UNC for example. Heck, even UK sees twice the revenue from football than basketball.
 
#70
#70
calban said:
Actually football and men's basketball are the only 2 sports that are profitable in college athletics.
Judging from TN's financial report from last year, neither are paying the bills right now.
With a couple more years of football like we're seeing now and a couple of E8 or final 4 appearances by the basketball team, basketball will be paying the bills.
Would we then be considered a men's basketball school?
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There is a reason that even at Kentucky the football stadium is almost three times the size of the basketball arena.
 
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