Neyland Stadium to be “preserved” by Pilot

[clarencepeabody]

There were actually some people who tried to make this partnership happen! I thought it was hilarious. UT didn’t.

 

[DownTheField]

Boom?

 

[Vol737]

Not bad and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. Great for NIL and I'll likely hardly notice it. As ole Bertlekamp says, "MONEY!"

 

[vollygirl]

Wait, hold the damn phone! Did I see a Huepel quote in this thread where he said he is the "caretaker" of the program?!? Did that just sllip by everybody??

No, you didn't. Read it again.

 

[DaddyChad]

Wrong again. Harlem’s no longer own the company. You really do not keep up.

Damn I didn’t know Harlem owned pilot. They’re really branching out.

 

[wmcovol]

It’s $40 million. Paint the field, take the money & STFU

 

[Vol737]

The Haslam family neither owns nor runs any of Pilot.

Berkshire Hathaway's final bill to buy all of Pilot? Here's what Warren Buffett paid

Warren Buffett's company has dropped quite a chunk of change to buy the Knoxville-based fuel company.

www.knoxnews.com

Thanks for posting that, but this is what really caught my eye...

"Berkshire filed a countersuit, saying Jimmy Haslam, then Pilot chairman, bribed Pilot staff members to inflate the price."

May not be true, but given the scheme that was contrived to rip off a few million from small trucking companies, one would have to consider it. Oh wait, he didn't do that....all his underlings came up with the scheme and he "knew nothing about it".

 

[Blake25p]

So the name of the Stadium doesn’t change, the name of the field doesn’t change, the only change is you’ll see a “Pilot” on each 30 yard line AND we get additional NIL funds… what’s not to like?

 

[Vol737]

So the name of the Stadium doesn’t change, the name of the field doesn’t change, the only change is you’ll see a “Pilot” on each 30 yard line AND we get additional NIL funds… what’s not to like?

Indeed. What's two more Pilot signs around Knoxville?

 

[VOLLeeann]

So the name of the Stadium doesn’t change, the name of the field doesn’t change, the only change is you’ll see a “Pilot” on each 30 yard line AND we get additional NIL funds… what’s not to like?

!!! The desecration of decades of Vol... !!!

OK maybe not much.

 

[volfanhill]

So the name of the Stadium doesn’t change, the name of the field doesn’t change, the only change is you’ll see a “Pilot” on each 30 yard line AND we get additional NIL funds… what’s not to like?

Bc some people want to biatch and pretend like change is not inevitable.

 

[Jaxon_Vol2017]

Right there with you.

Some of us have the decency not to want to be slammed with ads everywhere we turn. I went to the University of Tennessee, not the University of Tennessee preserved by FedEx.

Stop watching then, it ain't changing

 

[Big Orange#1]

I think HQ gets relocated eventually.

If they didn’t do it 15 years ago why now?

 

[volfanhill]

"Preserved by Pilot" explicitly implies that at any moment, if the dollars are right, they could un-preserve it.

This isn't something to be celebrated or happy about.

It's a 20 year contract right? Wake me in 15. Some of y'all are lost

 

[butchna]

The Haslams had nothing to do with this. Berkshire Hathaway has owned and fully controls Pilot since the start of the year.

Warren Buffett's company now fully owns a truck-stop chain that was the 5th-largest private company in America

Haslam’s still CEO.

 

[butchna]

I'm not totally mad about this and i trust Dany White enough (he's earned a lot of leeway in my book versus other recent ADs) that this will remain tastefully done.
The Pilot logos will be clean, professional, look good, and not be so gaudy as they stand out by themselves.

All that said, it does concern me a little about what happens after Danny White moves on and the next person sits in that seat.

Best problem we’ve had in forever. Our AD is irreplaceable.

 

[woodpusher]

This really is the best possible outcome. Haslem has his flaws, but at least he was in-tune enough to know the ramifications of keeping the name and the reception of a rebranding of Neyland by keeping the historical value in its name. For all his warts, he still had enough sense to know this was what fans would have wanted, and it still provides a revenue stream that would have been generated by selling out to Food City, TurboTax, or any other entity that likely would have lacked the foresight to leave the name alone.

Edit: Apparently the Haslems have no controlling interest in Pilot/Flying J as of this year, so I gave him too much credit. But someone made a good decision on the corporations behalf given they are still headquartered in Knoxville.

There are only a half dozen Pilots left in metropolitan Knoxville. Maybe they should rename the company to "Neyland Oil."
(EDIT: down from 40-ish?)

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Haslam’s still CEO.

Uh..... No.

Pilot Flying J Corporate Structure and Executive Leadership

pilotflyingj.com

 

[adam.vol]

Damn I didn’t know Harlem owned pilot. They’re really branching out.

It’s really too much for anyone to keep up with.

 

[Tin Man]

Shields-Watkins Waffle House Field.

If our defense doesn’t allow the other team to score, our offense need only pour the syrup on the waffle to win. The defense will have applied the turf butter.

 

[GetEmVols]

Ignore the two kids talking in the parking lot and just watch what is going on in the Waffle House.

Didn’t notice anything unusual in the Waffle House. What did I miss

 

[dobre_shunka]

Haslam’s still CEO.

Adam Wright - Chief Executive Officer

 

[tn4elvis]

That’s a great gesture and show of class by CJH. I am 58 years old and at no time in my life have I been happier and prouder of the athletic department and coaches than right now.GoVols

 

[Savannahbayvol]

We even made Newsweek

MSN

 

[WillisWG]

That’s a great gesture and show of class by CJH. I am 58 years old and at no time in my life have I been happier and prouder of the athlete department and coaches than right now.GoVols

It's great to be a Tennessee Vol!